Will Earth 'lose gravity' for 7 seconds on Aug. 12, 2026? NASA weighs in

 

Will Earth 'lose gravity' for 7 seconds on Aug. 12, 2026? NASA weighs in

Throughout the first eight months of 2026, people shared a rumor alleging Earth would "lose gravity" for seven seconds on Aug. 12, leading to the deaths of tens of millions of people. Users purported a secret NASA document named "Project Anchor" leaked in November 2024, revealing the agency had known of and organized special preparations for the cosmic event.

For example, in March 2026, an Instagram user posted (archived) a meme reading, "On August 12, 2026, the world will lose gravity for 7 seconds. NASA knows - They're preparing but won't tell us why."

The post's caption further claimed: "In November 2024, a classified NASA document titled 'Project Anchor' allegedly leaked online. The budget: $89 billion. The objective: survival during a predicted 7-second gravitational anomaly scheduled for August 12, 2026, at 14:33 UTC." The post continued, "According to the document, gravity will disengage for 7.3 seconds. Internal projections estimate 40-60 million casualties worldwide."

Other examples of the claim from July and early August 2026 appeared on Bluesky (archived), Facebook (archived), Threads (archived), TikTok (archived) and X (archived).

In sum, while NASA's website said a total solar eclipse would occur on Aug. 12, 2026, the rumor about "Project Anchor" and gravity loss was false.

Searches of Bing, DuckDuckGo and Google found no reputable results about a "Project Anchor" leaking online during or after November 2024. Similar searches of Facebook specifically during 2024 and 2025, as well as on X, uncovered no posts where users discussed a "Project Anchor."

A NASA spokesperson said via email that the rumor was not true:

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. A total solar eclipse has no unusual impact on Earth's gravity. The gravitational attraction of the Sun and Moon on the Earth, which doesn't impact Earth's total gravity, but does impact tidal forces, is well understood and is predictable decades in advance.