NASA responds to theory that the Earth will lose gravity for 7 seconds this year

NASA has responded to a viral theory claiming that the Earth will lose gravity for seven seconds on a specific date later this year.

The claim was being circulated that NASA had something called 'Project Anchor' that was working on dealing with the catastrophic damage that would be caused by the planet losing gravity for that amount of time.

Or more specifically the damage that would be caused by the return of gravity after those seven seconds, which would lead people and objects which had become untethered from the ground to fall back down, and this would happen on 12 August this year.

According to Snopes, this claim that was going around suggested that this loss of gravity would result in '40 million deaths from falls' and that NASA was spending $89 billion (£66bn) in an attempt to counteract the damage.

There's been claims that later this year the Earth will lose gravity for seven seconds, I'll give you three guesses to work out whether or not it's true (Getty Stock Images)

Should the Earth lose gravity for even a few seconds, it'd be a disaster on a global scale and we'd have a harsh lesson in just how much everything we've built relies on that constant force keeping us all on solid ground.

However, there's one major problem with the theory, it's a steaming pile of absolute bull.

The Earth's gravity is not going to disappear for seven seconds later on this year, there is no such thing as 'Project Anchor' and the big thing happening on 12 August this year is actually a total solar eclipse.

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NASA responds to gravity loss theory

A NASA spokesperson told Snopes in no uncertain terms that the viral theory was well and truly debunked, and explained what it would actually take for our planet to lose its gravity.

They said: "The Earth will not lose gravity on 12 August, 2026. Earth's gravity, or total gravitational force, is determined by its mass.

"The only way for the Earth to lose gravity would be for the Earth system, the combined mass of its core, mantle, crust, ocean, terrestrial water, and atmosphere, to lose mass.

"A total solar eclipse has no unusual impact on Earth's gravity. The gravitational attraction of the Sun and Moon on the Earth, which doesn't impact Earth's total gravity, but does impact tidal forces, is well understood and is predictable decades in advance."

What's actually happening on 12 August is a total solar eclipse, which doesn't impact gravity (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

We'd be in a whole heap of trouble if our planet lost mass in such a way so the loss of gravity might be a bit academic by that point.

You can chalk this up to a dumb conspiracy theory slop, which has been regurgitated around the internet by people who don't know how gravity works.

As for the upcoming solar eclipse, remember that it won't be safe to directly look at the Sun for most of it but NASA fortunately has some guidelines for how you can see it.

You'll need specialised eye protection and the only time when it's remotely safe to look right at the Sun without it during a total solar eclipse is when the Moon lines up perfectly with the Sun.

As soon as you see the Sun poking through behind, you've got to put your eclipse glasses back on.