Sometimes science feels like magic. It’s like when it’s so cold outside you can pitch boiling water into the air and watch it become snow, or when you combine Mentos and soda for explosive fun, or when you can stand a broom up on its own because NASA said so. Okay. It’s not like the National Aeronautics and Space Administration is some organization of math-loving space wizards. (Though I will read that fan fiction, please and thank you.) Social media users across Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram were spreading the word that NASA said conditions were perfect for the Earth’s gravitational pull to hold a broom upright on its own.

Here’s how people on Twitter reacted to the news:

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

I didn’t know we could do this with our brooms 💀💀💀 #broomchallenge pic.twitter.com/pMXVbX9JKB

— JazzyGuns🎮💜 (@_Jazzyguns) February 11, 2020

So we tried the #broomchallenge and this is what happened… pic.twitter.com/SQ7vBimQoi

— Justus (@jayepusha) February 11, 2020

they shoulda never gave us the internet 😂😂 #nasa #broomchallenge pic.twitter.com/xUNLPhZLVG

— Johnny Mac Zero (@AyeVontae) February 11, 2020

I’m shook 🤯 #broomchallenge 😭 pic.twitter.com/8slM5erscM

— Chrystian Lehr (@Chrystianonline) February 11, 2020

Don’t tell the clergy!!! #broomchallenge pic.twitter.com/NDsc8p64hG

— 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖑𝖔𝖛𝖊𝖑𝖞 𝖇𝖆𝖊 💖 (@SlayBaeBae) February 11, 2020

Now if the damn thing would just start sweeping by itself. That would be really impressive. #broomchallenge pic.twitter.com/fSDRKjuD6G

— Tim Akimoff (@timakimoff) February 11, 2020

I don’t have a broom… does this count? #broomchallenge pic.twitter.com/gL7GCZwg4x

— Lindsay Brightman (@Dame_Champagne) February 11, 2020

I can't believe this. People are tweeting that the gravitational pull today is allowing brooms to stand up on their own. Is this thing real or have we collectively a society never tried standing a broom up#broom #nasa #what #physics #science #sciencetwitter #broomchallenge pic.twitter.com/lDkF46Fxpm

— Gabriel Schray (@schrayguy) February 11, 2020

My parents take on the #broomchallenge pic.twitter.com/rTz9xQpQ17

— Nikki (@lilthotty3000) February 11, 2020

It’s not a broom but it’s the closest thing I got right now… And honestly seemed a lot easier than it should’ve been. #broomchallenge pic.twitter.com/205nWAHUET

— Stephanie Haney (@_StephanieHaney) February 11, 2020

So, wait a minute, are brooms astronauts or not?????

— Saeed Jones (@theferocity) February 11, 2020

This one might be my favorite. Watch to the end for a treat!

According to #NASA, today is the only day that a broom can stand on its own. The scientist in me had to test this hypothesis. #BroomChallenge pic.twitter.com/3ys629U0DN

— Clintoria Williams (@clintoria) February 11, 2020

A lot of fun was had across the nation! Families (mine included) were happily sending pics and vids of this AMAZING BROOM SCIENCE MAGIC! But then some bad news emerged. NASA had nothing to do with this. They never said anything about brooms and gravitational pull. Newsweek reports it’s a hoax. Not all the brooms standing upright, mind you, just the backstory. You can apparently do this nifty trick any day of the year. So. Magic is real and we don’t need NASA wizards is what I’m hearing? Cool. (Shut up, CNN.)

Kristy Puchko is the film editor of Pajiba. You can follow her on Twitter.

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