NASA has debunked a wild conspiracy theory doing the rounds on social media.
The bizarre theory claims that on August 12, at exactly 14.33 GMT (9.33 ET), Earth will lose gravity for seven seconds.
According to its proponents, this ‘secret’ was revealed in a NASA document named ‘Project Anchor’, leaked in November 2024.
And the disaster could lead to at least ’40 million deaths from falls’.
Unsurprisingly, thousands of concerned viewers took to X to discuss the claims.
‘If this is fake, why does it have a date, a project name, and a budget?’ one user asked on the platform.
While another concerned commenter added: ‘There’s gonna be a lot of injuries when everyone comes crashing back down then if it was to happen.’
Now, NASA’s experts have put the case to bed once and for all – pointing out that the wacky theory fundamentally misunderstands how gravity works.
NASA has debunked a wild conspiracy theory that the world will lose gravity for seven seconds on August 12
According to NASA, there is no way that the Earth can ‘lose’ gravity without losing mass, which means this theory is totally without basis
Despite the conspiracy theorists’ claims, there is absolutely no trace of any leaked document or mention of Project Anchor online prior to December last year.
A NASA spokesman told fact–checking website Snopes: ‘The Earth will not lose gravity on August 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.’
Although the exact origins of the conspiracy are unknown, one of the earliest references is from an Instagram user named @mr_danya_of.
In a lengthy post, the user wrote: ‘On August 12, 2026, the world will lose gravity for seven seconds. NASA knows. They’re preparing but won’t tell us why.’
They claimed that this would cause ’40 million deaths from falls. Infrastructure destruction. Economic Collapse lasting over ten years. Mass panic.’
The post suggests that this disruption would be caused by ‘the intersection of gravitational waves’ produced by colliding black holes.
On social media, conspiracy theorists have been sent into a frenzy. One claimed that the ‘details are way too specific to ignore’
The post also included some of the supposed details of Project Anchor, claiming that it had a budget of ‘$89 billion’ and was responsible for ‘building underground bunkers’.
In their very next post, the user told an entirely fabricated story about 600 people disappearing from the town of Portlock, Alaska, in 2019.
In other posts, the user claimed to work at Google, a morgue, a crematorium, a hospice, as well as being a psychiatrist and a criminologist.
But these details were apparently lost on the numerous accounts that copied the exact text from the original post and spread it over social media.
As the conspiracy spread, other users added more details and embellishments.
For example, one user wrote: ‘The Earth is expected to see “zero–gravity” condition on August 12, 2026, at 14.33 UTC, when a Total Eclipse of the Sun will pass over the Arctic Ocean.’
While another user posted a video to Instagram in which they suggested: ‘Maybe that’s why all these billionaires are building their bunkers.’
Soon, the conspiracy theorists began to turn on each other, accusing other users of being part of the conspiracy.
One concerned conspiracy theorist worried that there might be injuries when gravity returned
However, it wasn’t long before the conspiracy theorists turned on one another and accused other theorists of being part of a conspiracy
Conspiracy theorists suggested that the disruption could be caused by gravitational waves produced by colliding black holes. While gravitational waves are real and do come from colliding black holes (artist’s impression), they cannot cause Earth to ‘lose’ gravity
One social media user wrote: ‘Gravity as theory is hollow. Nice psyop though. The Deep State is keeping the rabbits busy digging a hole.’
‘Makes for a great psyop to get everyone indoors without forcing a lockdown,’ added another.
However, there is absolutely no basis in reality for any of these elaborate claims.
Although gravitational waves are real and are created by the collisions between black holes, they cannot cause Earth to ‘lose’ gravity.
Dr William Alston, a black hole expert from the University of Hertfordshire, told the Daily Mail: ‘These ripples are so weak that we have had to build the most sensitive detection equipment to see them – known as the LIGO and Virgo observatories.
‘These ripples routinely pass through Earth and ourselves, very subtly squeezing and stretching us; however, this is so small – many times smaller than the size of an atom – that this change goes by completely unnoticed.’
Additionally, since gravitational waves move at the speed of light, Dr Alston says these theorists would need a ‘physics-defying mechanism’ to predict the date of their arrival.
Likewise, while there will indeed be a solar eclipse on August 12, this will in no way affect Earth’s gravity.
One user went so far as to claim that ‘gravity as a theory is hollow’, branding the idea of gravitational attraction as some sort of cover–up
The date of the supposed gravitational switch coincides with a solar eclipse (pictured), but experts say this will not affect Earth’s gravity
A solar eclipse occurs when the moon aligns with the sun, so that it appears obscured from our perspective.
The sun and moon do exert a gravitational pull on Earth, but this doesn’t change during an eclipse.
The NASA spokesman added: ‘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.’
