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the ancient Roman goddess of the dawn.
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(lowercase) .
(lowercase) Meteorology. a radiant emission from the upper atmosphere that occurs sporadically over the middle and high latitudes of both hemispheres in the form of luminous bands, streamers, or the like, caused by the bombardment of the atmosphere with charged solar particles that are being guided along the earth’s magnetic lines of force.
a city in central Colorado, near Denver.
a city in NE Illinois.
a female given name.
Contemporary Examples

Due to the ongoing investigation, the Aurora Police Department would not confirm which chemicals were discovered in the apartment.
Explosion of James Holmes’ Apartment Would Have Been ‘Catastrophic’ Christine Pelisek, Eliza Shapiro July 22, 2012

On Sunday night thousands of people gathered on the lawn in front of the Aurora Municipal Center for a vigil.
Colorado Shooting Suspect James Holmes’s Life in Aurora Christine Pelisek, Eliza Shapiro July 22, 2012

I cannot conclude what would be the best route of healing for those who were affected by the Aurora shootings.
Why My Mother Would Save Aurora Shooter James Holmes Anna Klassen April 2, 2013

For example, the very Bushmaster AR-15 used by Adam Lanza in Newtown and by James Holmes in Aurora is perfectly legal.
A Response to David Mamet on Gun Control Michael Tomasky January 27, 2013

Virginia Tech, Tucson, Aurora, and now Newtown make for a terrible history of violence.
NRA President: Don’t ‘Overreact’ to Newtown Shooting Lloyd Grove December 22, 2012

Historical Examples

That Sunday evening Aurora Lane sat alone in her dingy little home.
The Broken Gate Emerson Hough

Already has not its Aurora brightened the tops of my snow-covered mountains?
Wilfrid Cumbermede George MacDonald

It is remarkable that the Aurora was far less magnificent than in more southern latitudes.
Our Sailors W.H.G. Kingston

He came out of the bushes, so Elvira and Aurora say, and spoke to them.
Fair Harbor Joseph Crosby Lincoln

The northern Aurora has been far the most observed and studied.
The New Gresham Encyclopedia. Vol. 1 Part 3 Various

noun (pl) -ras, -rae (-riː)
an atmospheric phenomenon consisting of bands, curtains, or streamers of light, usually green, red, or yellow, that move across the sky in polar regions. It is caused by collisions between air molecules and charged particles from the sun that are trapped in the earth’s magnetic field
(poetic) the dawn
noun
the Roman goddess of the dawn Greek counterpart Eos
the dawn or rise of something
noun
another name for Maewo
n.

late 14c., from Latin Aurora, the Roman goddess of dawn, from PIE *ausus- “dawn,” also the name of the Indo-European goddess of the dawn, from root *aus- “to shine,” especially of the dawn (cf. Greek eos “dawn,” auein “to dry, kindle;” Sanskrit usah, Lithuanian ausra “dawn;” Latin auster “south wind,” usum “to burn;” Old English east “east”).
aurora
(ə-rôr’ə)
Plural auroras or aurorae (ə-rôr’ē)
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-strā’lĭs) or southern lights. When it occurs in northern latitudes it is called an aurora borealis (bôr’ē-āl’ĭs) or northern lights. See also magnetic storm.

[“The Aurora Or-Parallel Prolog System”, E. Lusk et al, Proc 3rd Intl Conf on Fifth Generation Comp Systems, pp. 819-830, ICOT, A-W 1988].