Conspiracy theorists are claiming that Wednesday's solar eclipse could trigger a doomsday event killing 40 million people. The UK will see its fullest solar eclipse for the next 54 years on Wednesday, with more than 90% of the Sun obscured by the Moon between 6.17pm and 8.06pm on August 12 – the most blocked since the total eclipse in 1999.
The 'Project Anchor' theory
Online theorists reckon the rare celestial event will cause Earth's gravity to "switch off". They claim to have found a "secret" in a NASA document titled "Project Anchor", which allegedly states the planet could experience a seven-second loss of gravity. The wild theory suggests the leaked document pinpointed the date as August 12 at precisely 2.33pm US time.
One of the earliest known references to the bizarre theory is an Instagram post by @mr_danya_of, which read: "On August 12, 2026, the world will lose gravity for seven seconds. NASA knows. They're preparing but won't tell us why."
Claimed consequences
The post alleges the cosmic event would result in "40 million deaths from falls. Infrastructure destruction. Economic Collapse lasting over ten years. Mass panic." It also claims the disruption would be caused by "the intersection of gravitational waves" generated by colliding black holes.
However, not everyone is convinced. One user commented: "If this is fake, why does it have a date, a project name, and a budget?" Another chimed in: "There's gonna be a lot of injuries when everyone comes crashing back down then if it was to happen."
NASA and expert responses
NASA previously addressed the theory. A spokesperson said in a statement: "The Earth will not lose gravity on August 12, 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."
Dr William Alston, a black hole specialist from the University of Hertfordshire, clarified whether gravitational ripples reaching Earth could cause our planet to lose its gravity. He said: "These ripples are so weak that we have had to build the most sensitive detection equipment to see them – known as the LIGO and Virgo observatories. These ripples routinely pass through Earth and ourselves, very subtly squeezing and stretching us; however, this is so small – many times smaller than the size of an atom – that this change goes by completely unnoticed."
Eclipse timings around the UK
First contact (Moon first begins to cover the Sun): Edinburgh & Glasgow: 6:08pm; Galway & Dublin: 6:12pm; Manchester & Liverpool: 6:13pm; Norwich & Birmingham: 6:15pm; London, Bristol & Cardiff: 6:17pm; Truro, Cornwall: 6:18pm.
