Anyone that’s been on social media in the last 24 hours will have noticed what appears to be an excessive amount of pictures of brooms.
But, rather than simply showing off cleaning supplies, the photos are actually from people engaging in the newest viral trend: the #broomchallenge.
What is the #broomchallenge?
The challenge, which sees people standing brooms up straight by balancing them on the bristles, began after people falsely claimed that Nasa said brooms will be able to stand up unaided on 10 February because of the Earth’s gravitational pull.
“Okay so Nasa said today was the only day a broom can stand up on its own because of the gravitational pull,” one tweet reads. “I didn’t believe it at first but OMG!”
The tweet, which has since been liked more than 271,000 times, was accompanied with a video in which a woman stands a broom up straight.
“No strings, nothing,” she can be heard exclaiming.
Who has tried the challenge?
The challenge, which eventually led to hundreds of people trying to stand their own brooms up, also prompted celebrities including DJ Khaled, Ray J and Paula Abdul to join in.
“Don’t send me your dumb brooms I don’t care,” Chrissy Teigen wrote on Twitter amid the excitement. “We’ve confirmed it works, and sometimes it doesn't and I don’t care.”
The model later walked back on her dismissal of the brooms and apologised to her followers in a follow-up tweet, writing: “I’m sorry. I got caught up in the heat of the moment and didn’t stop to think that the broom thing makes you happy, and that makes me happy.
“You may send me your brooms and again I apologise.”
Is the challenge’s claim true?
Despite the numerous videos claiming to prove the validity of the suggestion, Nasa has since explained on Twitter that the reason the brooms are able to stand up straight comes down to “basic physics” - and the challenge is possible on any day, not just 10 February.
“Astronaut Alvin Drew and scientist Sarah Noble respond to the #BroomstickChallenege, showing that basic physics works every day of the year - not just 10 February,” the space agency wrote.
Nasa’s Earth Twitter account also reiterated the statement, writing: “There’s no special gravity that only affects brooms, but the moon’s gravity creates tides on Earth.”
