Aurora
Etymology
From Latin "aurora" ("dawn"), the name of the Roman goddess of daybreak. Galileo is credited with coining "aurora borealis" ("northern dawn") in 1619, imagining the glow as a dawn in the wrong place.
noun · /uh-ROR-uh/
The shimmering natural light display in the night sky near the poles, caused by solar particles striking the upper atmosphere.
What it names
The northern and southern lights, named with a word that literally means "dawn."
Example
Green curtains of aurora rippled above the frozen lake.
Related idea
Compare alpenglow, the rosy light on mountains at dawn or dusk — both are named for dawn, but alpenglow is sunlight on peaks, not particles in the sky.