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Etymology

The term aurora borealis was coined by Galileo in 1619, from the Roman Aurora, goddess of the dawn, and the Greek Boreas, god of the cold north wind.

The word aurora is derived from the name of the Roman goddess of the dawn, Aurora, who travelled from east to west announcing the coming of the Sun. Ancient Greek poets used the corresponding name Eos metaphorically to refer to dawn, often mentioning its play of colors across the otherwise dark sky (e.g., "rosy-fingered dawn").

The words borealis and australis are derived from the names of the ancient gods of the north wind (Boreas) and the south wind (Auster) in Greco-Roman mythology.