Aurora

Au·ro·ra ¹  (-rôr, -rr)

n. Roman Mythology

The goddess of the dawn.

---

[Latin Aurra; see aurora.]

---

Au·ro·ra ²  (-rôr, -rr)

1. A city of north-central Colorado, a residential suburb of Denver. Population: 304,000.

2. A city of northeast Illinois on the Fox River west of Chicago. It is an industrial center and was one of the first U.S. cities to use electricity for street lighting. Population: 171,000.

---

au·ro·ra  (-rôr, -rr)

n. pl. au·ro·ras or au·ro·rae (-rôr, -rr)

1. A luminous atmospheric phenomenon appearing as streamers or bands of light sometimes visible in the night sky in northern or southern regions of the earth. It is thought to be caused by charged particles from the sun entering the earth's magnetic field and stimulating molecules in the atmosphere.

2. The dawn.

---

[Middle English, dawn, from Latin aurra; see aus- in Indo-European roots.]

---

au·roral, au·rore·an (--n) adj.

au·roral·ly adv.

---

aurora

Noun

pl -ras or -rae

1. an atmospheric phenomenon of bands of light sometimes seen in the polar regions

2. Poetic the dawn [Latin: dawn]

---

aurora  (-rôr)

Plural auroras or aurorae (-rôr)

A brilliant display of bands or folds of variously colored light in the sky at night, especially in polar regions. Charged particles from the solar wind are channeled through the Earth's magnetic field into the polar regions. There the particles collide with atoms and molecules in the upper atmosphere, ionizing them and making them glow. Auroras are of greatest intensity and extent during periods of increased sunspot activity, when they often interfere with telecommunications on Earth. An aurora that occurs in southern latitudes is called an aurora australis (ô-strls) or southern lights. When it occurs in northern latitudes it is called an aurora borealis (bôr-ls) or northern lights. See also magnetic storm.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	aurora - the first light of day; "we got up before dawn"; "they talked until morning" break of day, break of the day, cockcrow, dawn, dawning, daybreak, dayspring, first light, sunrise, sunup, morning time of day, hour - clock time; "the hour is getting late"
	2.	aurora - an atmospheric phenomenon consisting of bands of light caused by charged solar particles following the earth's magnetic lines of force atmospheric phenomenon - a physical phenomenon associated with the atmosphere aurora australis, southern lights - the aurora of the southern hemisphere aurora borealis, northern lights - the aurora of the northern hemisphere streamer - light that streams; "streamers of flames"
	3.	Aurora - (Roman mythology) goddess of the dawn; counterpart of Greek Eos Roman mythology - the mythology of the ancient Romans