VIDEO -- WHat is HAARP - Is HAARP dangerous

HAARP is a target of conspiracy theorists, who claim that it was capable of "weaponizing" weather. Commentators and scientists say that advocates of this theory are "uninformed", as claims made fall well outside the abilities of the facility, if not the scope of natural science.

Stanford University professor Umran Inan told Popular Science that weather-control conspiracy theories were "completely uninformed," explaining that "there's absolutely nothing we can do to disturb the Earth's [weather] systems. Even though the power HAARP radiates is very large, it's minuscule compared with the power of a lightning flash—and there are 50 to 100 lightning flashes every second. HAARP's intensity is very small."[5] Computer scientist David Naiditch characterizes HAARP as "a magnet for conspiracy theorists", saying that HAARP attracts their attention because, "its purpose seems deeply mysterious to the scientifically uninformed."[6] Journalist Sharon Weinberger called HAARP "the Moby Dick of conspiracy theories," and said the popularity of conspiracy theories often overshadows the benefits HAARP may provide to the scientific community.[42][43] Austin Baird writing in the Alaska Dispatch said, "What makes HAARP susceptible to conspiracy criticism is simple. The facility doesn't open its doors in the same way as other federally-funded research facilities around the country, and it doesn't go to great efforts to explain the importance of its research to the public."[33] In August 2016, in response to these claims, the facility announced it would have an open day, allowing visitors to tour the complex.[44]