NASA Clarifies That Brooms Can Stand Upright Any Day Of The Year

NASA has been forced to step in and clarify that brooms can stand upright any day of the year - and not just on February 10.

The series of events that led to this curious clarification began when a tweet claiming that February 10 is the only day a broom can stand upright went viral online. The tweet claimed that NASA had declared the tenth day of February to be the only day when a broom could stand on its own "because of the gravitational pull".

The video accompanying the tweet has been viewed more than 8 million times, and it sparked a crazy viral trend on Tuesday when everyone tried balancing their brooms.

Okay so NASA said today was the only day a broom can stand up on its own because of the gravitational pull...I didn't believe it at first but OMG! 😭😭😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/M0HCeemyGt

— mk (@mikaiylaaaaa) February 10, 2020

It turned out, however, that the claim was completely false. The truth is that you can make a broom stand on its own any day of the year, and there is nothing unique about the gravitational pull of February 10.

This is why NASA - USA's premier space agency - issued a clarification saying that "basic physics works every day of the year - not just February 10th."

On February 11, NASA shared a video of astronaut Alvin Drew and scientist Sarah Noble doing the #BroomstickChallenge - as the craze was dubbed. The video shows them balancing a broom upright as astronaut Drew says, "It's just physics".   

🧹 ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Astronaut Alvin Drew and scientist Sarah Noble respond to the #BroomstickChallenge, showing that basic physics works every day of the year — not just February 10th. pic.twitter.com/4TTbI3mvzd

— NASA (@NASA) February 11, 2020

According to CNN, the reason a broom can stand upright without any support is because its centre of gravity is low, resting directly over the bristles. This means that if the bristles positioned like a tripod, a broom will stand upright any day.

Did you try the 'Broomstick Challenge'? Let us know using the comments section.