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The northern lights fill the sky with green ribbons of electrical charged particles over the barn and pastures at Greaney's Turkey Farm in Mercer, Maine on May 11, 2024. The aurora borealis, commonly referred to as the northern lights, are electrically charged particles that are interacting with gases in outer space. This recent display was the strongest seen since 2003 rating a G5 on the geomagnetic scale. (Photo by Michael Seamans/Getty Images)
Photo by Michael Seamans/Getty Images

Global intelligence plummets as conspiracy theorists claim that the Aurora Borealis is man made

At this time of year? At this time of day?

Despite the ample research that has gone into the Aurora Borealis over the years, there are some very special people who believe that the phenomenon isn’t natural. A conspiracy theory that emerged in the mid-90s has continued to grow, and just like those folks who believe the Earth is flat, it doesn’t matter how many easily accessible resources are available.  

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Millions of people across the globe were privy to the gorgeous auroras over the weekend. The ethereal pink, purple, and green lights danced across parts of Europe, the Northern U.S., Australia, and New Zealand skies on Friday, May 10 as “extreme” geomagnetic conditions raced through Earth’s magnetic field.

The well-researched phenomenon is caused by coronal mass ejections (CME), comprised of plasma and magnetic materials ejected from the sun through explosions known as solar flares. CMEs create currents in the Earth’s magnetic field according to NASA. Which then send particles to the North and South poles. The chemical reaction between Earth’s oxygen and nitrogen-rich thermosphere creates shimmering auroras that have fascinated humans for centuries.

Conspiracy theorists on social media aren’t so sure about the natural phenomenon. They claim that the lights were caused by the “High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program” or HAARP for short.

 Let’s be clear, HAARP is a real program. Its researchers – comprised of students from the University of Alaska, the University of Colorado, the University of Florida, the Georgia Institute of Technology, and Cornell University – study the Ionosphere, which resides roughly 50 to 400 miles above the Earth’s surface.

To do so, the students use the Ionospheric Research Instrument, a “high-powered transmitter facility operating in the High-Frequency range,” which can “excite” a limited area of the Ionosphere for scientific study. The research will further our understanding of the effects that the sun’s natural stimulation have on the layers of Earth’s atmosphere.

While the HAARP is in use, its effects can be seen around 300 miles from the facility in Gakona, Alaska. This “airglow” is created with high-frequency radio transmissions, and due to the way the human eye works, it’s easier to see out of the peripheral, where it appears as a “faint red or possibly green patch.”  The HAARP was in use during the May 10 auroras, a stint that started 2 days earlier on May 8.

Since the first facility was installed in Alaska several more have been erected. The EISCAT operates outside Tromsø, Norway, and the SIHF can be found outside of Vasilsursk, Russia. While other facilities have operated over the years, only 3 are active.

Theorists assert that the HAARP research is trying to prepare people for the “inevitable” man-made storms that the government will use to cause all sorts of problems. From Solar flares and earthquakes, to “a cascade of electrons that could flip Earth’s magnetic poles,” and even mind control, it seems that HAARP does everything except its intended purpose.

Who knows, maybe it even makes those “Jewish space lasers” that Marjorie Taylor Greene was talking about.


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Author
Image of Ash Martinez
Ash Martinez
Ash has been obsessed with Star Wars and video games since she was old enough to hold a lightsaber. It’s with great delight that she now utilizes this deep lore professionally as a Freelance Writer for We Got This Covered. Leaning on her Game Design degree from Bradley University, she brings a technical edge to her articles on the latest video games. When not writing, she can be found aggressively populating virtual worlds with trees.