Broom Challenge: You Can Make A Broom Stand Upright Any Day Of The Year
(CNN/CBS) -- Surely, by now you've seen the latest craze ... um, sweeping the internet.
Your friends are likely posting videos and pictures showing how they can make brooms stand up all by themselves.
A viral tweet suggests that NASA said Monday was the only day the "standing broom" trick would work, because of the earth's gravitational pull.
But, NASA confirmed in a statement to CBS News on Tuesday that there's no truth to the broom challenge.
"This is another social media hoax that exemplifies how quickly pseudoscience and false claims can go viral. While this hoax was harmless, it also shows why it's important for all of us to do some fact-checking and research — including checking in with @NASA and NASA.gov for real science fun facts — before jumping into the latest viral craze."
But the truth is, you can make a broom stand upright today... and tomorrow and the day after... and the day after that.
It has nothing to do with the earth's gravitational pull on a certain day. It also has nothing to do with the vernal equinox (another day of the year when this "magic" supposedly happens).
Instead, it has everything to do with balance.
The center of gravity is low on a broom and rests directly over the bristles. This means, if you can get the bristles positioned like a tripod, your broom will stand upright any day of the year.
Here's a video explaining it all. (By the way, this video is from 2012 because this myth has been around that long, if not longer.)
While we're sure NASA is bristling at the idea of people getting the science wrong, it still makes for a fun party trick.
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