aurora australis

[aw-strey-lis]

noun

Meteorology.

1. the aurora of the Southern Hemisphere.

aurora australis

/ ɒˈstreɪlɪs /

noun

1. Also called: southern lights. (sometimes capital) the aurora seen around the South Pole

Word History and Origins

Origin of aurora australis¹

1735–45; < New Latin: southern aurora; austral ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of aurora australis¹

New Latin: southern aurora

When To Use

What does aurora australis mean?

The aurora australis is the shimmering display of lights that sometimes appears in Earth’s Southern Hemisphere.The phenomenon is also called the southern 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. The word australis is Latin for austral, which simply means “southern.” The aurora australis appears in many colors ranging from green and pink to red, yellow, and blue.Auroras are not exclusive to Earth and occur on every planet in our solar system except Mercury. And the aurora australis is not the only aurora on Earth. The more commonly known aurora in the Northern Hemisphere is called aurora borealis or the northern lights (the word borealis is Latin for boreal, which simply means “northern”). 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 australis dazzles the many people who travel to see the natural light show, which is considered one of Earth’s most magical phenomena.