NASA Debunks Viral Rumor Claiming Earth Will Lose Gravity for 7 Seconds on August 12, 2026

A sensational online rumor claiming that Earth will temporarily lose its gravity for about seven seconds on August 12, 2026, has been circulating widely on social media, prompting official pushback from NASA and fact-checkers.

According to the false claims, a secret NASA document titled “Project Anchor,” allegedly leaked in November 2024, predicted a gravitational anomaly lasting roughly 7 seconds beginning at 14:33 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) — 22:33 Hong Kong time — on that date. The posts warned of catastrophic consequences, including an estimated 40 million to 60 million casualties worldwide from falls and related chaos. Some versions of the rumor also asserted that NASA had allocated an $89 billion budget (approximately HK$698.4 billion) to prepare for the event, including the construction of underground bunkers.

NASA has firmly rejected the claims. In a statement provided to fact-checking organization Snopes, a NASA spokesperson said: “The Earth will not lose gravity on Aug. 12, 2026. Earth’s gravity, or total gravitational force, is determined by its mass. The only way for the Earth to lose gravity would be for the Earth system, the combined mass of its core, mantle, crust, ocean, terrestrial water, and atmosphere, to lose mass.”

The agency further clarified that a total solar eclipse scheduled for the same day will have no unusual impact on Earth’s gravity. While the gravitational attraction of the Sun and Moon influences tidal forces, these effects are well understood, predictable decades in advance, and do not alter Earth’s overall gravitational force.

Fact-checkers at Snopes rated the claim false after finding no credible evidence of any “Project Anchor” document, budget allocation, or related NASA program. Searches of public records, NASA archives, and major search engines turned up no supporting information. The earliest known appearance of the rumor traces back to an Instagram post by the account @mr_danya_of on December 31, 2025. That account has a history of sharing varied, often fictional stories, some of which appear to have been generated with artificial intelligence tools. Related videos later disappeared from the user’s TikTok and YouTube channels, and the account stopped posting new content in early 2026.

The rumor gained renewed traction in the days leading up to August 12, 2026, coinciding with the real total solar eclipse visible across parts of Greenland, Iceland, Spain, northern Russia, and the Atlantic Ocean, with a partial eclipse observable over broader regions of Europe, North America, and Africa. Scientists emphasize that solar eclipses involve the Moon passing between Earth and the Sun and have no mechanism to disrupt planetary gravity.

In short, the “Project Anchor” story is a hoax with no scientific basis. Earth’s gravity remains firmly in place, and the only celestial event of note on August 12 is the solar eclipse — an ordinary and predictable astronomical occurrence.