Viral claims circulating on the web warning that Earth’s gravity will briefly disappear on Wednesday, August 12, are fully false, NASA has clarified. The weird conspiracy theory has been spreading on-line since late 2025 and gained recent consideration because the supposed date of the occasion approached. It claims that gravitational waves from a collision between two black holes tens of millions of years in the past are heading in the direction of Earth and will by some means change off the planet’s gravity.
NASA dismissed the idea, mentioning a fundamental scientific undeniable fact that Earth’s gravity is set by its mass, which doesn’t out of the blue disappear. “The one manner for the Earth to lose gravity can be for the Earth system, the mixed mass of its core, mantle, crust, ocean, terrestrial water, and ambiance, to lose mass. The Earth won’t lose gravity on Aug. 12, 2026, NASA added, as per New York Post.
Posts circulating on social media declare {that a} secret NASA programme referred to as Project Anchor has recognized a gravitational occasion that will make Earth quickly weightless. In keeping with the claims, the occasion would occur on August 12 at a selected time and final for seven seconds. Some variations of the idea even allege that the US authorities has ready an $89 billion programme, together with underground bunkers, to guard chosen folks and protect humanity after the catastrophe.
On August 12, 2026, the world will lose gravity for 7 seconds. NASA is aware of. They’re making ready however will not inform us why. In November 2024, a secret NASA doc titled “Venture Anchor” leaked on-line. The mission’s price range is $89 billion, & its aim is to outlive a 7-second… pic.twitter.com/XS567dYvu8
— M.A. (@MaDJEric) August 9, 2026
Essentially the most excessive posts declare that individuals, animals, vehicles, trains, rocks and even oceans can be lifted into the air. Buildings would allegedly start falling aside earlier than gravity out of the blue returned, inflicting all the pieces to crash again to Earth.
The conspiracy theories go so far as predicting tens of millions of deaths and a decade-long financial collapse.
Nevertheless, there isn’t any scientific proof that gravitational waves might change off Earth’s gravity.
Gravitational waves are ripples in spacetime produced by extraordinarily violent cosmic occasions, together with the merger of black holes. By the point these waves attain Earth, their results are terribly small. Observatories such because the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) detect these tiny adjustments utilizing extraordinarily delicate devices.
There is no such thing as a identified mechanism by which a passing gravitational wave might make Earth’s gravity disappear.
The supposed Venture Anchor seems to have originated with a December 2025 Instagram publish. An investigation by Snopes discovered that the account behind the declare was identified for publishing AI-generated and sensational tales. The declare then went viral on TikTok, X and different social media platforms, the place more and more dramatic variations of the story started circulating.
The conspiracy principle gained further momentum as a result of August 12 occurs to coincide with a number of real astronomical occasions. A photo voltaic eclipse, a planetary alignment seen within the daybreak sky and the height of the Perseid meteor bathe are all occurring round this time. Nevertheless, these occasions haven’t any connection to any sudden change in Earth’s gravity.
“A complete photo voltaic eclipse has no uncommon impression on Earth’s gravity,” the area company stated. “The gravitational attraction of the Solar and Moon on the Earth, which does not impression Earth’s whole gravity however does impression tidal forces, is nicely understood and is predictable a long time upfront,” NASA added.
