aurora borealis

noun aurora bo·re·al·is \ -ˌbȯr-ē-ˈa-ləs \

|Updated on: 21 Jun 2018

: an aurora that occurs in earth's northern hemisphere — called also northern lights

See aurora borealis defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of aurora borealis from the Web

Aurora Lights is inspired by the magnetospheric phenomenon known as the aurora borealis (aka northern lights), which is made clear not only by the packaging artwork but by the 18 incredible colors inside.

— marci robin, Allure, "BH Cosmetics' New Aurora Lights Eye Shadow Palette Is Just $18 for 18 Shades," 8 June 2018
On Tuesday night, the Earth found itself in the midst of a strong geomagnetic storm, the result of which was a very rare blessing: sightings of aurora borealis, also known as the Northern Lights, across America.

— diana bruk, Country Living, "23 Unbelievably Stunning Photos of the Northern Lights From Tuesday's Solar Storm," 18 Mar. 2015
Northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, are created when space particles hit Earth's atmopshere.

— jennifer earl, Fox News, "Northern lights shine over Michigan's Mackinac Bridge," 8 May 2018
Night owls find that even the most popular spots, like those closer to the entrance, clear out after 7 p.m. August and September can also prove worthwhile for night hikers: That’s when the aurora borealis starts breaking through.

— stephanie granada, Sunset, "10 Insider Secrets to Optimize Your National Park Visit," 22 Jan. 2018
In many case this comes down to the correct magnetic field, solar flux, or aurora borealis condition.

— joe pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, "Meet the Space Cowboys Launching Telescopes From the Middle of Nowhere," 12 Apr. 2018
People began spotting the aurora borealis on Monday night and continued to see them into Tuesday night.

— lyndsey matthews, Country Living, "There's Another Chance to See the Northern Lights Tonight," 11 Apr. 2018
From its wraparound windows, the resort's guests-a maximum of 10 at any given time-can watch the aurora borealis dance around the sky or survey an endless horizon of jagged peaks blanketed in untouched snow.

— nikki ekstein, chicagotribune.com, "Denali National Park welcomes its first, and last, luxury hotel," 20 Feb. 2018
From its wraparound windows, the resort's guests-a maximum of 10 at any given time-can watch the aurora borealis dance around the sky or survey an endless horizon of jagged peaks blanketed in untouched snow.

— nikki ekstein, chicagotribune.com, "Denali National Park welcomes its first, and last, luxury hotel," 20 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'aurora borealis.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.