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NASA Debunks That Viral “Broomstick Challenge” As A Hoax

Apparently, everyone and their mother has become either a witch or a scientist, because people the world over are forcing their brooms to stand up straight without anyone’s help in what is being called the Broomstick Challenge. Is it magic? Is it some sort of magnetic planetary alignment thing?

The #Broomstick Challenge” is sweeping across the globe and social media, the basic idea being that some objects can stand upright because gravity does some sort of special *gravitational pull thing* on certain days of the year.

Apparently, people have been doing this because they were told NASA shared the challenge on February 10, which is one of the supposed high holy days of broomstick magic.

As laypeople, this sounds legitimate enough, right? Wrong. NASA has had literally nothing to do with the challenge, February 10 has absolutely zero real meaning, and brooms can do their thing on any day. Basically, it’s a hoax. 

As NASA told Insider, “While this hoax was harmless, it also shows why it’s important for all of us to do some fact-checking and research—including checking in with @NASA and NASA.gov for real science fun facts—before jumping into the latest viral craze.”

Here’s one of the first tweets about the hoax—garnering nearly 300,000 likes:

This woman at the mall is losing it. Get behind me, Satan!

It’s amazing how many people have shared in the challenge, most of them with minds blown:

The dogs don’t get it, either!

Things got weird in one quick sweep (sorry for the pun):

Everyone on the Internet became powerful wizards:

Even celebs got in on the madness, like Ally Brook of Fifth Harmony:

Paula Abdul straight up went full ’80s dance party at the site of her broom standing upright:

Of course, NASA chimed in with an adorable “you guys are wrong, but it’s ok” tweet:

But this pretty much sums it up:

More Internet challenges:

Leigh MB