Overview
- NASA publicly told fact‑checkers that Earth will not lose gravity on Aug. 12, 2026 and reminded the public that total gravity is determined by the planet’s mass.
- Fact‑checkers traced the most visible origin of the rumor to a December 2025 Instagram post from an account that posts AI‑generated sensational claims.
- Experts say gravitational waves measured by instruments such as LIGO and Virgo are far too tiny to produce any measurable loss of weight and that a true loss of gravity would require a loss of mass.
- The viral story also invoked an alleged leaked NASA document called “Project Anchor” and an $89 billion preparedness plan, but reporters and Snopes found no evidence to support those claims.
- Public interest and online searches surged as the solar eclipse and other celestial events approached, scientific observation campaigns continue, and historical reports of small eclipse anomalies remain limited and inconclusive.