NASA claims you can stand broom on end during specific day? Fact Check

ByCraig Haley

Messages online claim that NASA has announced that you can stand a broom on its end during a specific day of the year.

FALSE

Some variants of the rumour claim that it is because of the gravitational pull created by a specific alignment of the planets. Other variants claim it is because of the spring (vernal) equinox.

While it is true that a whole variety of brooms really can be stood on their ends without being held up, it has nothing to do with the equinox or planetary alignments, nor is it only possible on a specific day of the year. Similar rumours have persisted over the years that claim you can only stand an egg on its end during the equinox. That too was nonsense, and so is this.

Firstly, there is no record of NASA making any kind of statement related to standing brooms (or anything else) on their ends during a specific day of the year. Many rumours claim that NASA has stated it is possible because of a specific “tilt” or a specific gravitational pull on Earth. However there are no records anywhere of NASA making any kind of statement like this.


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In fact in the past, NASA has debunked this type of nonsense. In reference to the egg-on-the-equinox brand of rumor, the NASA website specifically claimed that the equinox has “no practical effect on egg stability”. Naturally, the same would apply equally to a broom.

The little-appreciated fact that most eggshells have small bumps on them makes this seemingly impossible task achievable. Although, during an equinox, every place on Earth experiences an equal length day and night (12 hours each), this fact has no practical effect on egg stability.

Another serious flaw with those claiming that this is only possibly during the equinox is that the vernal equinox is in March, and these rumours began a month early, in February.

Even for those to omit the reference to the equinox and but still insist this is only possibly during a specific day of the year, there are a plethora of photos available online of brooms stood on their ends on other days of the year as well.

As such, this is a hoax. NASA has made no such announcement, and while many brooms can indeed be stood on their ends, this is possible on any other day of the year and has nothing to do with specific planetary alignments, fleeting gravitational pulls or the equinox.

UPDATE:

NASA responded to the viral “challenge” in a series of tweets, confirming that you can stand certain brooms on their end every day of the year since it’s “just physics“.

So there you go.