Every few months my inbox fills up with breathless posts about NASA warning that we are about to spend several days in total darkness. Depending on the version, it is three days, six days, or even fifteen days of darkness caused by a rare solar event that will somehow flip space on its head. Screenshots from TikTok and Facebook circulate with fake “NASA bulletins” and lots of dramatic language.

Where This “Days Of Darkness” Rumor Came From

Versions of this story have been bouncing around online for years. Some early forms were traced back to a fake news site that specialized in made up science stories, including claims that NASA confirmed 15 days of darkness or an “internet apocalypse” that would knock everyone offline. Fact checking sites have repeatedly debunked these claims, noting that no such NASA alert exists.

In 2025 a fresh wave of posts claimed that a solar eclipse would cause the entire world to go dark for several minutes and that it would somehow be a once in a century event. Astronomers pointed out that there is no global blackout coming, and that NASA’s own eclipse data does not list any such phenomenon.

What NASA Has Actually Said

NASA does talk about solar flares, geomagnetic storms, and eclipse paths, but they have not issued any warning about days of darkness worldwide. When similar “internet apocalypse” rumors went viral, space scientists described them as exaggerated or flatly wrong.

Most of the viral graphics that claim to be NASA statements do not link to any real NASA page. They often contain odd phrasing, weird fonts, or fake signatures. If you cannot click through to a real nasa.gov page, that is a red flag by itself.

Why These Posts Keep Coming Back

There are a few reasons this rumor refuses to die:

• It plays on a basic fear of the dark and of losing technology.
• It sounds just plausible enough if you do not know how eclipses and space weather actually work.
• Fake news pages earn clicks, follows, and ad revenue when people share these stories without checking them.

In Short

• There is no credible NASA warning that the Moon or Earth will go dark for days. That “bulletin” is a long running hoax that keeps getting recycled.
• If a screenshot claims to be from NASA but does not link back to nasa.gov, assume it is fake until proven otherwise.
• Before you share a scary space story, search the headline plus the word “hoax” or “fact check.” In this case, you will find multiple debunks in seconds.