aurora borealis
noun
aurora bo·re·al·is
-ˌbȯr-ē-ˈa-ləs 
: an aurora that occurs in earth's northern hemisphere
called also northern lights
Examples of aurora borealis in a Sentence
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Caused by Earth's magnetic field interacting with the sun's plasma, the aurora borealis is constantly present, but not always visible to our eyes due to factors such as light pollution, the geomagnetic K-index and moon brightness.
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Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 26 Sep. 2025
Atsu and her horse galloping across a frozen lake that looks like blue lace agate; Atsu making camp under the green streaks of the aurora borealis; red maple leaves careening and pinwheeling in the wind in Atsu’s wake.
—Alyssa Mercante, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2025
That October night, the aurora borealis dances along the north ridge of Holy Cross, a shimmering violet then green curtain of light blowing in the solar wind.
—Ted Katauskas, Outside, 23 Sep. 2025
The possibility of displays of the aurora borealis at more southerly latitudes than is typical is also down to an increase in solar activity, which is currently at a 23-year high due to the current solar maximum period.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
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Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 26 Sep. 2025
Atsu and her horse galloping across a frozen lake that looks like blue lace agate; Atsu making camp under the green streaks of the aurora borealis; red maple leaves careening and pinwheeling in the wind in Atsu’s wake.
—Alyssa Mercante, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2025
That October night, the aurora borealis dances along the north ridge of Holy Cross, a shimmering violet then green curtain of light blowing in the solar wind.
—Ted Katauskas, Outside, 23 Sep. 2025
The possibility of displays of the aurora borealis at more southerly latitudes than is typical is also down to an increase in solar activity, which is currently at a 23-year high due to the current solar maximum period.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for aurora borealis
Cite this Entry
“Aurora borealis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aurora%20borealis. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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aurora borealis
noun
aurora bo·re·al·is
-ˌbōr-ē-ˈal-əs
-ˌbȯr-
: broad bands of light that have a magnetic and electrical source and that appear in the sky at night especially in the arctic region
called also northern lights
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