If you believed they put a man on the moon

   The other day I was preparing dinner...

  

   You can see that we were having fish. Tilapia, in fact. There is a container of breadcrumbs waiting to coat the fillets, which, as you can see, have been lightly seasoned. Prior to breading, they must be dredged in beaten egg, of course. This is not going to be 'beer batter' fish. The beer is just because cheffin' is hard work. The recipe does not call for rootbeer either. That's just an empty can left over from lunch. The recipe does include lemon, dill, and jarlsberg cheese (not pictured).
   But, wait, you say. Is there something odd about that egg? Well, here, have a look from a different angle...

   Want a closer look?

   Jumpin' Jehosephat, Jasper! That there egg is a-standing on its end. It must be that there Vernal Equinox thingy goin' on right now. That's when all the eggs around the world can be stood on end real easy like. Right?

   Actually not. The Vernal Equinox, or the first day of spring, occurred on March 21st this year, almost three months ago. The Summer Solstice is approaching, but it was still a full two weeks away when I took this picture on June 8th. So how did I get the egg to balance on end? You can stop looking for wires, or double sided tape, or strategically placed mirrors. I just stood the egg on its end.
   It really isn't that hard to do. Try it for yourself. It just takes a little bit of patient fiddling. Oh, and a cooperative egg. If the first one you try won't stand up, try another one. You see, eggs aren't really perfectly smooth. Run your finger along one. You'll feel rough spots, and sometimes little tiny bumps. If those bumps occur near the end ofthe egg, they can act as little supports, allowing the egg to stand on end. I opened a fresh dozen, and the second one I took out easily stood up. It even stayed standing up as I opened and closed drawers and cupboard doors beneath it.
   Many people believe that it is only possible to stand an egg on end on the Vernal Equinox, or at least on one of the Equinoxes. Why is this common urban legend so prevalent? I have no idea, although, I suppose it has much to do with the fact that, most people have never tried to stand an egg on end, or even really thought about it very much.

   Why did I stand an egg on its end? Just to see if I could. Why did I photograph it, and write about it here? Anyone who has ever forwarded me an email containing a hoax virus warning or urban legend knows the answer to that question. I simply can't resist debunking obviously silly stories that get propagated because the majority of people in the world lack even the most simplistic critical thinking skills.
   For more on egg standing, and other silly, astronomy and science related hoohaw, visit Phil Plait's Bad Astronomy web page.

Tags: skepticism, science, egg standing, vernal equinox, urban legend, mmm fish