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NASA assures humanity Earth’s gravity will not disappear this week after insane conspiracy theories ran rampant

Nypost · 🇺🇸 public United States · · 541 words · By Alex Oliveira
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What to know about Scientific Fact vs. Conspiracy

NASA assures humanity Earth’s gravity will not disappear this week after insane conspiracy theories ran rampant See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 10
Techniques found 2
Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center67%
Right33%

3 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

NASA assures humanity Earth’s gravity will not disappear this week after insane conspiracy theories ran rampant See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on Google Glad they cleared that one up.

Common ground

Viral conspiracy theories that Earth’s gravity will briefly vanish on Wednesday — purportedly causing a cataclysm the government is hiding — are entirely untrue, NASA assured humanity.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/08/11/us-news/nasa-shoots-down-conspiracy-theories-that-…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 90% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Name Calling / Labeling 85% confidence
Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 10 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 8
verified Verified By Reference 1
help Insufficient Evidence 1
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Claim 1: “That event — supposedly caused by intersecting gravitational waves from black holes — would cause Earth’s gravity to vanish for seven seconds beginning at 10:33 a.m. EST Wednesday”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources explicitly detail the theory's claim that intersecting gravitational waves from black holes would cause gravity to vanish for seven seconds at 10:33 a.m. EST/ET.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The resignation of Pope Benedict XVI took effect on 28 February 2013 at 20:00 Roman-Vatican Time, following Benedict XVI's announcement of the same on 11 February. It made him the first pope to relinq…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resignation_of_Pope_Benedict_X…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Blue Ghost Mission 1 was a robotic Moon landing mission conducted by Firefly Aerospace (Firefly). The spacecraft soft-landed on the lunar surface on March 2, 2025, making Firefly the first commercial …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Ghost_Mission_1
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Men in Black II (stylized as MIIB in promotional material) is a 2002 American science fiction action comedy film based on the Marvel Comics series of a similar name based on the conspiracy theory. Pro…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men_in_Black_II
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 2: “Online searches for the likes of “gravity” even spiked this week, rising by 60% from last week, according to Google.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of general Google search results and Wikipedia entries about Google, but none of the results mention a 60% spike in searches for 'gravity' this week.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Google LLC ( , GOO-gəl) is an American multinational technology corporation focused on information technology, online advertising, search engine technology, email, cloud computing, software, quantum c…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Google Chrome is a cross-platform web browser developed by Google. It was launched in September 2008 for Microsoft Windows and was built with free software components from Apple WebKit and Mozilla Fir…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Chrome
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Google Search (also known simply as Google) is a search engine operated by Google. It allows users to search or ask for information by entering keywords or phrases on a website page or in an installed…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Search
+ 3 more evidence sources
help
Claim 3: “a unique convergence of cosmic events happening on Earth on Aug. 12 — a solar eclipse, an alignment of planets across the dawn sky and the peak of the Perseid meteor shower.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided in the search results to confirm or deny the specific convergence of a solar eclipse, planetary alignment, and Perseid meteor shower on August 12.
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Claim 4: ““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,” NASA added.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources quote NASA stating that the only way Earth would lose gravity is if the Earth system (core, mantle, crust, etc.) lost mass.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — An Earth analog, also called an Earth twin or second Earth, is a planet or moon with environmental conditions similar to those found on Earth. The term Earth-like planet is also used, but this term ma…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_analog
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Moon is the only natural satellite of Earth. It orbits around Earth at an average distance of 384,399 kilometers (238,854 mi), a distance roughly 30 times the width of Earth. It completes an orbit…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. This is made possible by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid su…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 5: “Snopes tracked it down to a single Dec. 2025 Instagram post from an account full of AI-written crackpot stories”
CORROBORATED
Snopes and other web results trace the rumor to Instagram posts, specifically mentioning user @mr_danya_of and a post from December 2024 (though the claim says 2025, the evidence shows a Dec 9, 2024 post, and Snopes is cited as the tracker).
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web search NEUTRAL — Instagram Reel Project Anchor Project Anchor auf Mystery Lores Project Anchor auf X.com. Hashtags: #space #nasa #telescope #universe #astronomy #ProjectAnchor.December 9, 2024.
https://www.matrixblogger.com/project-anchor-nasa-hides-a-7-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 12, 2026 — spread from social platforms and cited a supposed leaked NASA dossier called “Project Anchor,” but scientific experts and NASA denied the claim and called it impossible [1] [2]. The earlies…
https://factually.co/fact-checks/science/mr-danya-of-gravity…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 'Project Anchor' post text, in full. Instagram's @mr_danya_of and other users shared the text for the gravity-loss rumor as follows: On August 12, 2026, the world will lose gravity for 7 seconds.
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/nasa-project-anchor-earth-…
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Claim 6: “Viral conspiracy theories that Earth’s gravity will briefly vanish on Wednesday — purportedly causing a cataclysm the government is hiding — are entirely untrue, NASA assured humanity.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources (Snopes, AOL, and other web results) confirm that NASA debunked the viral conspiracy theory regarding Earth's gravity vanishing.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 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, cru…
https://www.unilad.com/technology/wild-earth-lose-gravity-th…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Viral post claims Earth's gravity will vanish for 7 seconds on August 12, causing objects to float. Discover the truth behind this #science claim.
https://www.tiktok.com/discover/what-time-is-gravity-suppose…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Claim: A secret NASA document named "Project Anchor" leaked in November 2024, revealing the agency believed the Earth would "lose gravity" for seven seconds on Aug.12, 2026. Earth's gravity, or total …
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/nasa-project-anchor-earth-…
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Claim 7: ““A total solar eclipse has no unusual impact on Earth’s gravity,” the space agency said.”
CORROBORATED
Web search results reporting on NASA's debunking of the hoax specifically mention that NASA stated a total solar eclipse has no unusual impact on Earth's gravity.
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Claim 8: ““Earth’s gravity, or total gravitational force, is determined by its mass,” NASA told Snopes”
CORROBORATED
The statement that Earth's gravity is determined by its mass is attributed to NASA in multiple web search results reporting on the debunking of the hoax.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — NASA traces its roots to the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). Although Dayton, Ohio, is considered the birthplace of aviation, by 1914 the United States recognized that it lagged si…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 1 day ago · NASA.gov brings you the latest news, images and videos from America's space agency, pioneering the future in space exploration, scientific discovery and aeronautics research.
https://www.nasa.gov/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — May 1, 2026 · Flickr Commons has more than 3,000 photos from NASA’s history. All photographs on the NASAcommons Flickr account originate from the compilation of photos from NASA’s image and video libr…
https://www.nasa.gov/images/
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Claim 9: ““The Earth will not lose gravity on Aug. 12, 2026.””
CORROBORATED
NASA's denial that Earth will lose gravity on August 12, 2026, is reported by Snopes, NYPost, and AOL.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — August is the eighth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. In the Southern Hemisphere, August is the seasonal equivalent of February in the Northern Hemispher…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — August 32nd on Earth (French: Un 32 août sur terre, and also known as 32nd Day of August on Earth) is a 1998 Canadian drama film directed and written by Denis Villeneuve, in his feature film directori…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_32nd_on_Earth
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. This is made possible by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid su…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth
+ 4 more evidence sources
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Claim 10: “The viral theories involved claims of a leaked NASA document describing “Project Anchor,” a supposed program with an $89 billion budget dedicated to preparing the United States for the calamity caused by the gravitational event.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources describe the conspiracy theory involving a leaked NASA document called 'Project Anchor' and the associated claims of a gravitational event.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Disclosure Day is a 2026 American science fiction thriller film directed and produced by Steven Spielberg from a screenplay by David Koepp, based on a story by Spielberg. The film stars an ensemble ca…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disclosure_Day
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — For All Mankind is an American science fiction drama television series created and written by Ronald D. Moore, Matt Wolpert and Ben Nedivi and produced for Apple TV+. The series dramatizes an alternat…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_For_All_Mankind_charac…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On January 28, 1986, Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, killing all seven crew members. The spacecraft disintegrated about 46,000 feet (14 km) above the Atlantic Ocean, o…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Challenger_disas…
+ 3 more evidence sources
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.