Alaska residents and visitors to the state will have a unique opportunity to observe an artificial glow in the sky, created as part of the High-Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP).
This exciting research campaign, which begins on November 11, will be conducted by a team of scientists from prestigious institutions such as the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Cornell University, the University of Colorado Denver, the University of Florida and Georgia Tech. The experiments will focus on the ionosphere, the region of the atmosphere between 30 and 350 miles above the Earth’s surface.
One of the main objectives of this research campaign is to study the ionospheric mechanisms that cause optical emission. Scientists are particularly interested in studying how some plasma waves can amplify other very low-frequency waves. They will also investigate how satellites can use plasma waves in the ionosphere to detect and prevent collisions.
The HAARP ionospheric research instrument, consisting of a phased array of 180 high-frequency antennas spread over 33 hectares, will play a crucial role in creating artificial airglow.
By exciting electrons in Earth’s ionosphere with high-frequency radio transmissions, similar to how solar energy creates natural auroras, HAARP can generate pulses of airglow. The installation can radiate a power of 3.6 megawatts to the upper atmosphere and the ionosphere.
The airglow created by HAARP will be visible up to 300 miles (480 kilometers) from the installation in Gakona, Alaska. It can appear as a faint red or green spot in the sky, and because of the way the human eye works, it is more visible when viewed from the side. The viewing angle for observers will depend on the distance from HAARP.
To observe the glow, you must be a certain distance from HAARP, as indicated by the approximate elevation angle versus the distance provided by the installation.
The signal transmission frequencies used by HAARP will range from 2.8 to 10 megahertz, and the actual days and times of signal transmission will depend on real-time ionospheric and/or geomagnetic conditions.
The U.S. National Science Foundation recently awarded the UAF Geophysical Institute a $9.3 million grant to build the Subauroral Geophysical Observatory at HAARP. The purpose of this observatory is to study the Earth’s upper atmosphere and geocosmic environment.
The grant has supported several research campaigns, including an upcoming airglow experiment. In addition, a HAARP grant supported the Polar Aeronomy and Radio Engineering Summer School, which was attended by more than 50 researchers in August.
Originally developed and owned by the Air Force, HAARP transferred its research instruments to the UAF in 2015. Under an agreement with the Air Force, the UAF now operates the facility and continues to push the boundaries of ionospheric research.
Additional information about the research campaign is available at the HAARP website.
