Social media has been buzzing with an extraordinary claim that Earth will supposedly lose gravity for seven seconds today (August 12), reports Pretoria Rekord.

The prediction has been linked to an alleged secret Nasa programme called ‘Project Anchor’, with posts claiming the space agency has known about the event for years and has been preparing for its consequences.

According to the viral claim, the supposed gravitational anomaly will occur at 16:33 South African time, and last about seven seconds.

However, there is no credible scientific evidence that Earth will lose gravity today.

According to Nasa, there is no scientific basis for claims that Earth’s gravity will disappear today.

Mass determines gravitational pull

Nasa explained that Earth’s gravitational force is linked to its mass. For the planet to suddenly lose its gravity, there would have to be a fundamental change involving the enormous mass of the Earth system.

The agency has therefore dismissed suggestions that people and objects will suddenly become weightless for seven seconds.

The viral story has also alleged that Nasa established a secret programme called Project Anchor and spent billions preparing for the event.

However, no verified Nasa documentation supporting the existence of such a programme has emerged.

Gravitational wave claims dismissed

Some versions of the rumour claim that the seven-second event will be caused by gravitational waves from black holes.

Gravitational waves themselves are real, but their inclusion in the story does not make the prediction scientifically credible.

According to the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO), gravitational waves are ripples in spacetime produced by some of the most violent events in the universe, including collisions involving black holes.

The effects that reach Earth are extremely small, which is why scientists require highly sensitive instruments to detect them.

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