plural auroras or aurorae
ə-ˈrȯr-(ˌ)ē 
ȯ-
1
: dawn
2
capitalized
: the Roman goddess of dawn compare eos
3
: a luminous phenomenon that consists of streamers or arches of light appearing in the upper atmosphere of a planet's magnetic polar regions and is caused by the emission of light from atoms excited by electrons accelerated along the planet's magnetic field lines
Synonyms
Examples of aurora in a Sentence
a gorgeous pink aurora aroused us out of our slumber
Recent Examples on the Web
But there’s another factor working against eye-catching auroras: there’s currently less nighttime.
—
Bill Chappell, NPR, 31 May 2024
But even if near-future events don't create aurora quite as far south, millions of people at northern latitudes will definitely still get more chances to spot them this year.
—Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 29 May 2024
Sunspots produce solar flares and coronal mass ejections, which create the geomagnetic storms here on Earth that cause the aurora to appear.
—Shelby Slade, The Arizona Republic, 20 May 2024
From sunspots and solar flares to coronal mass ejections and the aurora borealis, solar activity has been in the news recently.
—Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 10 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for aurora 
Bill Chappell, NPR, 31 May 2024
But even if near-future events don't create aurora quite as far south, millions of people at northern latitudes will definitely still get more chances to spot them this year.
—Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 29 May 2024
Sunspots produce solar flares and coronal mass ejections, which create the geomagnetic storms here on Earth that cause the aurora to appear.
—Shelby Slade, The Arizona Republic, 20 May 2024
From sunspots and solar flares to coronal mass ejections and the aurora borealis, solar activity has been in the news recently.
—Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 10 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for aurora
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'aurora.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Aurora.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aurora. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationGeographical Definition
Aurora
geographical name
Au·ro·ra
ə-ˈrȯr-ə
ȯ-
1
city in north central Colorado east of Denver population 325,078
2
city west of Chicago in northeastern Illinois population 197,899
3
town north of Toronto in southeastern Ontario, Canada population 53,203
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