FRAGMENT #2420 HAARP and Conspiracy Theories about the Aurora Borealis

By Maciej Lesiak

May 15, 2024 - 5 minutes read - 900 words

What's in this article

Introduction to Conspiracy Fragments

In today’s inaugural fragment, we will tackle information that electrified internet users in the second week of May. A solar storm and the solar wind reaching Earth were said to be the cause of increased aurora borealis activity. According to scientists, this could be observed in Poland and many other places around the world. Unfortunately, cloudy skies thwarted our observation plans.

Conspiracy theories quickly started to appear on social networks, questioning whether the solar storm generated such a phenomenon.

Facebook post - Cody Osborne HAARP Conspiracy

Solar flares don’t exist because the Sun isn’t a ball of fire in space that throws off violent bursts of energy. The Sun is just a light. The “geomagnetic storms” are caused by HAARP. Stop falling for the nonsense. Source FB.

The main culprit became the HAARP system (High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program, an advanced research device for studying the ionosphere), which, according to conspiracy theories, is the ultimate weapon of the masons and those ruling the Earth. The problem is that if we consider HAARP responsible for the aurora borealis, and the phenomenon itself as artificial and human-generated, how do we explain observations of this phenomenon before HAARP’s creation? The oldest mention of the aurora borealis comes from ancient Chinese chronicles and is 3,000 years old. Source: Urania. Journalists quickly debunked the theory that HAARP could be responsible, undermining the basis of this reasoning, which denies the existence of a scientifically confirmed phenomenon. Thus, we are dealing with a paranoid interpretation of facts.

What is the Aurora Borealis According to Science

NASA aurora borealis

Solar flares, which are intense bursts of radiation from the Sun, reach Earth in eight minutes and can cause geomagnetic storms and auroras, as observed during the Carrington Event in 1859. Despite conspiracy theories, HAARP is not associated with generating the aurora borealis. HAARP conducts research on the ionosphere but does not generate enough energy to create phenomena similar to the aurora, which results from the interaction of solar emissions with Earth’s magnetic field.

What Do Paranoids Blame HAARP For

HAARP antennas

Let’s quote Wikipedia, as nothing new can be invented here regarding what HAARP is accused of by conspiracy theory paranoids:

Electromagnetic weapon that can accumulate electromagnetic energy in a small area[…]
Geophysical weapon that can cause: earthquakes, cyclones, tsunamis, etc.
Device capable of controlling people’s moods (i.e., mood changes, causing irritation).
Device with the above-mentioned features and additionally capable of: destroying all satellites in orbit and intercontinental ballistic missiles, underground tomography, communication with submarines, directing a radiation wave of 20 megatons at any selected target. Wikipedia

If you want to learn more from today’s fragment, below I’ve prepared an informational pill and appropriate links at the bottom of the post.

Informational Pill About the HAARP Project

In 1990, a large area of taiga near Gakona, Alaska, was cleared – in its place, rows of radio antennas were erected. The HAARP project began its work. The acronym stands for High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program. The entire venture is funded, among others, by the US Air Force and the US Navy. REPORT POLISH RADIO - HAARP - on the bright side of power?

HAARP, or the High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program, is an advanced research device for studying the ionosphere, located in Gakona, Alaska. Initially developed jointly by the US Air Force, Navy, and DARPA, the program was transferred to the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 2015.

Main Research Tool

Ionospheric Research Instrument (IRI): Consists of 180 crossed dipole antennas spread over 33 acres, capable of emitting 3.6 megawatts of power into the upper atmosphere. IRI allows the selection of frequencies ranging from 2.7 to 10 MHz, enabling beam shaping and scanning over a wide angular range.

Research Objectives

Active Experiments: Using the IRI to induce controlled disturbances in the ionosphere to study their impact on natural processes.
Passive Research: Monitoring natural phenomena in the ionosphere using passive scientific instruments.

HAARP also conducts intensive research on communication and monitoring capabilities of the ionosphere, which has applications for both civilian and defense purposes (sic! It is precisely this military connection that fuels the imaginations of conspiracy theorists). It collaborates with numerous universities and research institutions, offering a unique opportunity to conduct on-demand experiments, setting it apart from traditional research methods using satellites or sounding rockets.

Location in Gakona

Chosen for criteria such as proximity to the auroral zone and logistical availability. The site allows for research with minimal interference from electromagnetic noise from human settlements or other sources.

Education and Collaboration

HAARP, according to the project’s website, is a place of collaboration for scientists from various fields, including physics and engineering, and the University of Alaska conducts intensive research campaigns that allow for the concentration of many international experiments.

Transparency, Not Secrecy

Although HAARP is the subject of numerous conspiracy theories, from mind control to weather manipulation, its activities are transparent and foresee a series of studies published in peer-reviewed scientific journals. Like most modern world technologies, it originates from military applications or space research. Hello, conspiracy theorists, wake up!