aurora
aurora — 名詞
- aurorasingular
- aurorasplural
1. bands of green, pink, or violet light that appear and move across the night sky
極光
太陽粒子與大氣碰撞產生的多彩光帶
bands of green, pink, or violet light that appear and move across the night sky near the North or South Pole, caused by particles from the Sun hitting gases high above the Earth
From the ship deck, Adaeze watched the aurora curl across the dark Arctic water.
Adaeze 從甲板上看著極光在黑暗的北極海水上空翻捲。
prepositional opener: 'from the ship deck' for viewing location
A green aurora glowed above the campsite, and all the children ran outside to look.
一道綠色極光在營地上方發亮，所有孩子都跑出來看。
countable: 'a green aurora' with colour modifier
Nadia drove three hours past Reykjavik to find a clear view of the aurora.
Nadia 開了三個小時的車離開雷克雅維克，想找一個能清楚看到極光的地點。
The guide explained how solar wind creates the aurora that dances above the polar sky.
導遊解釋太陽風如何產生極光，在極地上空舞動。
William checked the aurora forecast on his phone before booking a cabin near the lake.
William 在預訂湖邊小屋之前，先用手機查了極光預報。
- northern lights
the everyday English term for aurora borealis; far more common in casual conversation than the scientific name
- southern lights
the everyday term for aurora australis, visible near the South Pole
- aurora borealis
formal scientific name for the northern hemisphere display; used in textbooks and documentaries
- aurora australis
formal scientific name for the southern hemisphere display
- polar lights
umbrella term for both northern and southern displays; slightly more technical than 'northern lights'
文法句型
the aurora
an aurora
aurora borealis
aurora australis
用法筆記
In casual speech, most people say 'the northern lights' rather than 'the aurora.' The scientific Latin names — aurora borealis (northern hemisphere) and aurora australis (southern hemisphere) — appear in formal and academic writing. When describing a specific sighting, use the definite article ('we saw the aurora from the garden').
常見錯誤
2. the soft glow that spreads across the sky just before sunrise; a poetic word for
曙光
文學中指黎明時分的第一道光
the soft glow that spreads across the sky just before sunrise; a poetic word for dawn found mostly in older literature and poetry
The poem described the aurora breaking over olive groves like a curtain of pale silk.
詩中描寫曙光劃過橄欖園，宛如一片淡色絲綢的簾幕。
literary register: poetic simile with 'like a curtain of pale silk'
A cold grey aurora crept above the rooftops as the old town came to life.
一道灰冷的曙光爬上屋頂，古城也慢慢甦醒過來。
Minho woke at the first trace of aurora and walked down to the harbour to paint.
Minho 在第一絲曙光出現時醒來，走到港邊去畫畫。
Before the sun itself rose, pale aurora touched the mountain peaks with soft gold.
太陽尚未升起，淡淡的曙光已為山頂染上柔和的金色。
Chidi stood on the balcony and watched the aurora spread across the sleeping city.
Chidi 站在陽臺上，看著曙光在沉睡的城市上空蔓延開來。
- dawn
the standard everyday word for the first light of day
- daybreak
similar to dawn but slightly more formal or literary
- first light
a descriptive alternative; common in narrative and descriptive writing
- sunrise
refers to the moment the sun appears above the horizon, a bit later than aurora/dawn
文法句型
the aurora
用法筆記
This meaning is rare in modern everyday English; it survives mainly in poetry, hymns, and older literary works. Distinguish from sense 1 (POLAR LIGHTS), which is the common scientific meaning. If you want to talk about daybreak in ordinary conversation, use 'dawn' or 'sunrise' instead.