Mumbai, January 18: Several social media posts, especially on Instagram, claiming that a catastrophic event will strike Earth for seven seconds on August 12, 2026, are going viral on social media. According to the theory, the Earth will experience a brief “gravity blackout,” during which gravity will temporarily cease to function.

The claim further alleges that the US space agency NASA is secretly preparing for the event, supposedly spending USD 89 billion under a classified operation called “Project Anchor.” NASA is aware that the planet will temporarily lose gravity, but is deliberately withholding this information from the public, the posts further claim. Is There Really a 140-Year-Long YouTube Video? The Truth Behind the 1,234,567-Hour Footage by @shinywr.

Fake Claim of Earth Going To Lose Gravity for 7 Seconds on August 12

(Photo Credits: Instagram)

The alleged purpose of the secret project is to test whether Earth can survive a sudden gravitational disruption. “NASA knows Earth will briefly lose gravity for seven seconds on August 12, 2026, and isn’t telling the public why,” the claim states.

Fact Check: Earth Going To Lose Gravity for 7 Seconds? Well, No

 

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Reality About 7-Second Gravity Blackout on Earth

However, it turns out this is a conspiracy theory. There is no scientific evidence to support these claims, and no confirmation from NASA or any credible space agency. The information circulating online could very well be fake or misleading. Fact Check: Did 'Marry' from the Viral 7-Minute 11-Second Video Give a TV Interview?

What's Happening on August 12, 2026?

There is a confirmed total solar eclipse on August 12, 2026, visible across parts of the Arctic, Greenland, Iceland, and Spain, and this is likely what real astronomy services are talking about. An eclipse can be predicted decades in advance and does not affect Earth’s gravity beyond normal tidal effects.

What If Earth were to Loose Gravity, even for 7 Seconds?

If Earth’s gravity were to theoretically shut off for seven seconds, a scenario that remains impossible under known physics, the immediate effects would be unsettling rather than world-ending. The instant gravity vanished, everything on the planet would become weightless. People, vehicles, water, and debris would begin drifting upward, not because they were being pulled, but because inertia would carry them along as Earth continued rotating beneath them. Oceans would start to lift from their basins, the atmosphere would expand outward, and aircraft, birds, and unsecured structures would float unpredictably. Satellites and even the Moon would begin to slip from their stable orbits, while tectonic plates would briefly lose the pressure that keeps Earth’s crust locked in place.

The true destruction would come when gravity suddenly returned. Objects and people suspended in mid-air would crash back to the surface, causing widespread injuries and structural damage. Falling seawater could trigger catastrophic flooding and tsunamis, while the abrupt re-compression of Earth’s crust might unleash earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

The planet itself would survive, and life would not be wiped out overnight, but the aftermath would be severe: shattered infrastructure, devastated coastal regions, disrupted satellite networks, and a disturbed atmosphere that could take years to stabilise. Scientists emphasise, however, that such a gravity shutdown has no basis in real science and remains firmly in the realm of speculative fiction.

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TruLY Score 2 – Unverified | On a Trust Scale of 0-5 this article has scored 2 on LatestLY. It relies on a single source or posts by social media users, with no independent verification. The content should be viewed with caution and should not be shared without further validation from credible sources.

Fact check

Earth Going To Lose Gravity for 7 Seconds on August 12, 2026? Fact Check Reveals Truth About Viral Social Media Claims
Claim :

Earth will experience a brief “gravity blackout” where gravity will cease to function on seven seconds on August 12, 2026.

Conclusion :

The claim is fake.

Full of Trash
Clean

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 18, 2026 08:23 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).