aurora borealis

American  

[bawr-ee-al-is, -ey-lis, bohr-] / ˌbɔr iˈæl ɪs, -ˈeɪ lɪs, ˌboʊr- /

noun

Meteorology.

1. the aurora of the Northern Hemisphere.

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aurora borealis British  

/ ˌbɔːrɪˈeɪlɪs /

noun

1. Also called: northern lights.  (sometimes capital) the aurora seen around the North Pole

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aurora borealis Cultural  

1. A display of colored lights in the sky, also called northern lights, caused by the interaction of particles from the sun with the upper atmosphere near the North Pole. A similar display, called the aurora australis, occurs in the atmosphere above the South Pole.

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Usage

What does aurora borealis mean? The aurora borealis is the shimmering display of lights that sometimes appears in Earth’s Northern Hemisphere. The phenomenon is also commonly called the northern lights.An aurora is a natural light display in the sky that is caused by particles from the sun interacting with Earth’s magnetic field. Auroras are not exclusive to Earth and occur on every planet in our solar system except Mercury.The aurora borealis appears in many colors ranging from green and pink to red, yellow, and blue. The word borealis is Latin for boreal, which simply means “northern.”The aurora borealis is not the only aurora on Earth. The aurora in the Southern Hemisphere is called aurora australis or the southern lights. Both the northern and southern versions can be called aurora polaris because they occur around Earth’s poles, but this term is not commonly used.The aurora borealis dazzles the many people who travel to see the natural light show, which is considered one of Earth’s most magical phenomena.

Etymology

Origin of aurora borealis

1621; < New Latin: northern aurora; boreal

Example Sentences

"This region caused the spectacular aurora borealis that was visible as far south as Switzerland," says Louise Harra, professor at ETH Zurich and director of the Davos Physical Meteorological Observatory.

From Science Daily • Jan. 13, 2026

In college, I was a paid summer intern for a graduate student, analyzing signals bounced off an aurora borealis to study plasma.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 19, 2025

Vivid colours of the Northern Lights - or aurora borealis - were spotted on Tuesday night across Scotland.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2025

The couple named their child Aurora for their love of the aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights.

From Salon • Jan. 2, 2025

He saw the aurora borealis, meteor showers over tumbling black waves, night skies so clear the stars seemed within reach, hung from a ceiling by fishing wire.

From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers