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Credit: Phil Plait (Bad Astronomy)
Explanation:
Today is the
autumnal equinox -- should
eggs be able to stand on end?
This long-standing
myth loses much of its mystique after a demonstration
that eggs can be made to stand on end during any day of the year.
Pictured above, Dr.
Phil Plait
(Sonoma St. U.) acting as the
Bad Astronomer balanced three raw eggs on end in late October 1998.
Later, more modestly, his wife balanced five more.
The little-appreciated fact that most eggshells have
small bumps on them makes this seemingly impossible task achievable.
Although, during an
equinox, every place on Earth
experiences an
equal length day and night
(12 hours each), this fact has no practical effect on
egg stability.
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A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day