aurora borealis
noun
aurora bo·re·al·is -ˌbȯr-ē-ˈa-ləs 
: an aurora that occurs in earth's northern hemisphere
called also northern lights
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web On a trip in Iceland, storm chaser Alex Spahn got lucky and witnessed the aurora borealis over an erupting volcano. 
Kasha Patel, Anchorage Daily News, 19 Aug. 2022 The aurora borealis was visible as far south as Florida. Lauryn Azu, WSJ, 18 Aug. 2022 Catching the northern lights, or aurora borealis, used to be a chance occasion, a rare fluke for those lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. Megan Michelson, Outside Online, 15 Apr. 2022 The sight of the aurora borealis flickering through the sky and bouncing off snow and ice — not to mention one highly memorable UFO sighting. Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2022 Makeup artist William Scott showed off their skills on themselves, creating an aurora borealis eye moment of shimmering turquoises and purples. Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 12 June 2022 The wave-like appearance of the exterior was inspired by the aurora borealis, which are a common sight above Nuuk in the long nights of winter. David Nikel, Forbes, 14 May 2022 While the aurora borealis usually dances yellow and green ribbons across the sky, the red sky occurs at much higher altitudes. Jennifer Gray, CNN, 1 Nov. 2021 So, a few extra electrons make it into the atmosphere and possibly make more aurora borealis. Joshua Hawkins, BGR, 1 Apr. 2022 See More
Kasha Patel, Anchorage Daily News, 19 Aug. 2022 The aurora borealis was visible as far south as Florida. Lauryn Azu, WSJ, 18 Aug. 2022 Catching the northern lights, or aurora borealis, used to be a chance occasion, a rare fluke for those lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. Megan Michelson, Outside Online, 15 Apr. 2022 The sight of the aurora borealis flickering through the sky and bouncing off snow and ice — not to mention one highly memorable UFO sighting. Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2022 Makeup artist William Scott showed off their skills on themselves, creating an aurora borealis eye moment of shimmering turquoises and purples. Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 12 June 2022 The wave-like appearance of the exterior was inspired by the aurora borealis, which are a common sight above Nuuk in the long nights of winter. David Nikel, Forbes, 14 May 2022 While the aurora borealis usually dances yellow and green ribbons across the sky, the red sky occurs at much higher altitudes. Jennifer Gray, CNN, 1 Nov. 2021 So, a few extra electrons make it into the atmosphere and possibly make more aurora borealis. Joshua Hawkins, BGR, 1 Apr. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
New Latin, literally, northern dawn
First Known Use
1707, in the meaning defined above
Kids Definition
aurora borealis
noun
au·ro·ra bo·re·al·is ə-ˌrȯr-ə-ˌbȯr-ē-ˈa-ləs
: broad bands of light that have a magnetic and electrical source and that appear in the sky at night especially in the arctic regions