A viral social media claim — sometimes called "Project Anchor" — alleged that Earth would lose gravity for seven seconds during the total solar eclipse on August 12, 2026. NASA swiftly debunked this, telling Snopes in unequivocal terms: "The Earth will not lose gravity on Aug. 12, 2026. Earth's gravity, or total gravitational force, is determined by its mass. The only way for the Earth to lose gravity is for it to lose mass."
The claim originated from an unverified Instagram conspiracy post and spread rapidly. While solar eclipses do produce tiny, localized tidal variations in measured gravity — on the order of 0.0000178% — and can generate atmospheric gravity waves (as measured by NASA-affiliated student teams), neither of these phenomena constitutes a "loss of gravity." They are ordinary, well-understood physical effects.
Multiple credible outlets including The Economic Times, Times of India, and BGR all independently reported NASA's denial. No credible scientific mechanism exists by which a solar eclipse could cause a planet-wide gravitational shutdown of any duration, let alone seven seconds.