plural auroras or aurorae
ə-ˈrȯr-(ˌ)ē 
ȯ-
1
: dawn
2
Aurora
: 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
Examples of aurora in a Sentence
a gorgeous pink aurora aroused us out of our slumber
Recent Examples on the Web
The planet’s auroras appear as rosy, glowing patches that extend above the visible edges of Uranus’s atmosphere in the JWST images, which also capture the ice giant’s delicate ring system and the bright clouds around its polar cap.
—
Lee Billings, Scientific American, 24 Feb. 2026
But Uranus' lopsided rotations means the auroras that form are not in line with its northern and southern poles, as is the case on other planets like Earth, Jupiter and Saturn.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 24 Feb. 2026
Red auroras occur when solar particles collide with oxygen at higher altitudes, generally around 180 to 250 miles (300 to 400 km).
—Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 23 Feb. 2026
This reveals how the ice giant’s unusual magnetic field shapes spectacular auroras high above the planet’s clouds.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 21 Feb. 2026
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Lee Billings, Scientific American, 24 Feb. 2026
But Uranus' lopsided rotations means the auroras that form are not in line with its northern and southern poles, as is the case on other planets like Earth, Jupiter and Saturn.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 24 Feb. 2026
Red auroras occur when solar particles collide with oxygen at higher altitudes, generally around 180 to 250 miles (300 to 400 km).
—Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 23 Feb. 2026
This reveals how the ice giant’s unusual magnetic field shapes spectacular auroras high above the planet’s clouds.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 21 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for aurora
Cite this Entry
“Aurora.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aurora. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
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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