NASA rejects viral claim Earth will lose gravity for 7.3 seconds in 2026

NASA has dismissed a viral social media claim that Earth will lose its gravity for 7.3 seconds on August 12, 2026, calling the assertion scientifically impossible. In an official statement, the agency said Earth would have to lose its entire mass to stop generating gravity, a scenario that cannot occur. The claim, spread across social media platforms, linked the supposed gravitational loss to an alignment of six planets and a total solar eclipse on the same date. Posts also alleged that NASA was preparing underground shelters under a so-called "Project Anchor" valued at $89 billion, an initiative the posts said was being concealed from the public. Researchers at the California Institute of Technology said gravitational waves originating from black holes weaken significantly after traveling for light-years and do not behave like a destructive ray. Conspiracy theory researcher A. J. Gentile described the narrative as a fiction with no scientific basis. According to the source material, the claim traces back to a December 31, 2025 Instagram post by user @mr_danya_of. No further details about the origin or reach of the rumors were immediately available.