aurora

What it means

1. An atmospheric phenomenon created by charged particles from the sun striking the upper atmosphere, creating coloured lights in the sky. It is usually named australis or borealis based on whether it is in the Southern or Northern Hemisphere respectively.

   1 more example

   On the evening of our arrival at Muka I observed what appeared like a display of Aurora Borealis, though I could hardly believe that this was possible at a point a little south of the equator. The night was clear and calm, and the northern sky presented a diffused light, with a constant succession of faint vertical flashings or flickerings, exactly similar to an ordinary aurora in England.

   1869, Alfred Russel Wallace, The Malay Archipelago, volume II, London: Macmillan and Co., page 354

   Synonyms: chasma, polar light

2. The Roman goddess of the dawn, equivalent to the Greek Ἠώς (Ēṓs).
3. The dawn or early morning light itself; the first light of day.

   Synonyms: dawn, daybreak, sunrise

In a sentence

On the evening of our arrival at Muka I observed what appeared like a display of Aurora Borealis, though I could hardly believe that this was possible at a point a little south of the equator. The night was clear and calm, and the northern sky presented a diffused light, with a constant succession of faint vertical flashings or flickerings, exactly similar to an ordinary aurora in England.

1869, Alfred Russel Wallace, The Malay Archipelago, volume II, London: Macmillan and Co., page 354

Where it comes from

1. Latinaurōra“dawn”
2. Englishaurora

Borrowed from Latin aurōra (“dawn”). Doublet of Eos.