claim: a special astronomical property allows brooms to be stood on end during particular days of the year.
question: does ‘gravitational pull’ allow brooms to stand on end on certain days?
origin: in recent years the long-running myth about the equinox being a day possessed of a special property which allows eggs to be balanced on their ends has grown to encompass brooms as well. and the broom-balancing myth has likewise grown to encompass days other than the equinox on which — according to nasa, supposedly — “gravitational pull” and/or a “planetary alignment” creates just the right conditions for brooms to stand on their ends unsupported:
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  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
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  as with the egg-balancing myth, this broom-standing phenomenon has nothing to do with equinoxes or planetary alignments. with some practice and patience, anyone can make a broom (or an egg) stand on its end any day of the year.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  as explained in this video, a broom typically has a low center of gravity positioned just above the bristles. so if you stand a broom on end and spread the bristles just right, you can form a tripod-like structure which will hold up the broom:
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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comment: whether it's an egg or a #broomtrick, the real explanation is far less exciting.
summary: the myth that the equinox has a special property which allows eggs to be balanced on their ends has grown to encompass brooms as well. with some practice and patience, anyone can make a broom (or an egg) stand on its end any day of the year. as with the egg-balancing myth, this broom-standing phenomenon has nothing to do with equ inoxes or planetary alignments.