Why brooms stand up

Anyone see one? The pair posted their own video of them standing up a broom Tuesday, to show that even though the window for the challenge had passed, it was still actionable. The NASA Earth twitter account also weighed in saying "There's no special gravity that only affects brooms, but the Moon's gravity creates tides on Earth.

The myth, which is partly based on an old wives' tale that claims that every year on the vernal and autumnal equinox, eggs are able to balance on their ends, appears to have surfaced annually since at least Station Info. Share Tweet Email. Share: Share Tweet Email. Another day, another hoax sweeping the internet. This time, people are trying to fool you into believing that something unique about the Earth's gravity is allowing brooms to stand up on their own.

The bristles are soft enough to spread out a bit at the contact point with the floor and provide a stable base to support the handle and allow the broom to balance. Of course, believing that it is the alignment of planets, otherworldly beings, or the moons gravitational pull is way more fun to talk about than the real explanation. Here are some other fun simple physics demos you can do. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Click to Share!

During an equinox the Earth's north and south poles are not tilted towards or away from the sun, which also means the duration of daylight is almost the same at all points on the Earth's surface.

In a TV broadcast in March , now uploaded to YouTube , CNN meteorologist Chad Myers explained it was possible to balance a broom or an egg at any time of the year not just the spring equinox. Dr Becky Smethurst, an astrophysicist from the University of Oxford, told the BBC she could not believe the misinformation being spread online.

It's a good party trick. As one Twitter user commented : "Your broom is able to stand on its own on any day of the year, and Nasa didn't say today was special regarding that". Did you know that due to the gravitational force NASA says you will be able to stand using both legs tomorrow?

He also sees the positive in addressing such misunderstandings. It is not the first time Nasa has been linked to nonsense on social media.