What will happen on August 12? Four celestial events and a rumoured gravity blackout

August 12, 2026, will be an unusually busy day for skywatchers, with several major celestial events taking place within roughly the same 24-hour period. A total solar eclipse will cross parts of the Northern Hemisphere, the Perseid meteor shower will reach its annual peak under a New Moon, and six planets will appear together in the pre-dawn sky.

The combination makes August 12 one of the most notable dates on the 2026 astronomical calendar. However, the events will not all be visible from the same location or at the same time.

Alongside the genuine astronomical events, a social media rumour claiming that Earth will experience a seven-second “gravity blackout” on August 12 has also gone viral. There is no scientific evidence supporting the claim.

Total solar eclipse on August 12

The biggest astronomical event of the day will be the total solar eclipse on August 12, 2026.

According to NASA, the eclipse's path of totality will cross Greenland, Iceland, northern Russia, the Atlantic Ocean, Spain and a small part of Portugal. A partial solar eclipse will be visible across a much larger area, including parts of North America, Europe and Africa, as well as surrounding oceans.

During totality, the Moon will completely cover the Sun's bright disk. For most locations along the path of totality, the period of total darkness will last less than two minutes, although observers closer to the centre of the path will experience a longer total eclipse.

Spain is expected to attract particular attention because the eclipse will occur close to sunset in parts of the country. NASA lists cities including León, Valencia and Zaragoza among locations where totality will be visible.

For people outside the path of totality, the event will appear as a partial solar eclipse, with the Moon covering only part of the Sun.

Perseid meteor shower peaks the same night

The celestial action will not end with the eclipse.

The Perseid meteor shower is expected to reach its peak on the night of August 12-13, 2026. The American Meteor Society says the Perseids are active from July 17 to August 24 and can normally produce around 30 to 50 meteors per hour under good rural viewing conditions around maximum activity.

What makes 2026 particularly favourable for meteor watchers is the Moon.

The Perseid peak will coincide with a New Moon, meaning there will be essentially no bright moonlight washing out the fainter meteors. The American Meteor Society describes the 2026 conditions as optimal for viewing the shower.

For the best chance of seeing meteors, observers should move away from city lights and give their eyes time to adjust to the darkness.

The Perseids are produced by debris left behind by comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. As Earth passes through this debris stream, particles enter the atmosphere at high speed and burn up, creating the streaks of light commonly called shooting stars.

Six planets will appear in the morning sky

Before sunrise on August 12, another celestial spectacle will be underway.

Six planets — Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, Uranus, Saturn and Neptune — will appear across the morning sky.

The event is commonly described as a six-planet alignment or planetary parade. However, the planets will not actually form a perfectly straight line in space.

Instead, they will appear along the broad path of the ecliptic from Earth's perspective. The planets are also at vastly different distances from Earth and remain in their individual orbits around the Sun.

There is another important catch: not all six planets will be easy to see with the naked eye.

Saturn and Mars will be among the easier targets. Mercury and Jupiter will be closer to the horizon and more challenging to spot, while Uranus generally requires binoculars and Neptune requires a telescope.

What is the August 12 gravity blackout rumour?

Amid the excitement over the genuine celestial events, a separate claim about August 12 has been spreading on social media.

One post on X claimed that Earth will lose gravity for seven seconds on August 12, 2026, allegedly because of a secret NASA project called “Project Anchor”.

“On August 12, 2026, the world will lose gravity for 7 seconds. NASA knows. They’re preparing but won’t tell us why.”

The post also claimed that the alleged project had an $89 billion budget and that the supposed gravitational event would occur at 14:33 UTC.

Another viral post made similar claims, suggesting that NASA knew about an impending seven-second gravitational anomaly but had not informed the public.

However, there is no credible scientific evidence that Earth will experience a seven-second loss of gravity on August 12. There is also no established evidence for a NASA programme called “Project Anchor” designed to protect Earth from such an event. A factcheck by the Grok AI read, "There is no confirmed evidence of a NASA-hidden 7-second gravity blackout on Aug 12, 2026, or "Project Anchor." NASA's public 2026 budget is $24.4B total. Earth's gravity cannot be briefly lost. The date aligns with a total solar eclipse, which has no gravity impact."

The claim appears to have gained traction partly because it coincides with a real and rare astronomical event — the total solar eclipse.

Can a solar eclipse cause Earth to lose gravity?

No.

A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun and blocks some or all of the Sun's light from reaching parts of Earth.

It does not switch off Earth's gravitational field.

Earth's gravity is produced primarily by the planet's mass and does not disappear because of an eclipse. Although the positions of the Moon and Sun do produce measurable gravitational effects on Earth, these are normal tidal effects and are not capable of causing Earth to become weightless for several seconds.

The viral claim also should not be confused with the temporary feeling of weightlessness experienced by astronauts in orbit. That occurs because spacecraft and their occupants are in continuous free fall around Earth, not because Earth's gravity has disappeared.

August 12 will be spectacular — but there is no gravity blackout

August 12, 2026, will genuinely be an exceptional day for skywatchers. A total solar eclipse, the peak of the Perseid meteor shower, a New Moon and a six-planet morning-sky gathering will occur within a relatively short period.

But the viral claim about Earth losing gravity for seven seconds is not part of that astronomical forecast.

The real events are enough to make August 12 a major date on the 2026 skywatching calendar. There is no need to add a fictional gravity blackout to make the day extraordinary.