This Egg Balancing Display Can Be Explained By Astronomy

Egg balancing was first made popular by the Chinese. The practice began thousands of years ago and was connected with the beginning of the Chinese spring on February 4th or 5th. It was believed that the position of the earth in relation to the sun provided a unique opportunity due to an unusual, although subtle, influence on gravity.

This craze spread to the United States in 1945 after Life Magazine featured the egg balancing craze in China. These events still take place to this day and they draw thousands of people.

Explanations for this phenomenon have circulated that claim the eggs are more easily balanced during certain seasons, during certain phases of the moon and also during the Jupiter Effect, an alignment of the planets on the same side of the sun. The Jupiter Effect last occurred in 1982 and only happens once every 169 years.

Scientists were not only predicting that eggs would be affected, but also ocean tides, weather patterns, and volcanic activity.

In truth, all of these situations have a negligible effect on gravity and on eggs. Anyone with a steady enough hand can balance eggs on their end without a lot of difficulty. The shell of an egg seems smooth and uniformly rounded, but they are actually prone to imperfections and indentations too small to see. Rotating the egg slowly and finding the right angle requires no special skill or astrological event.

Scientists actually tell us now that the effect of the gravitational forces exerted by other planets will not even compare to the forces created by a person's breathing in the room, or their heartbeat.

The legend continues to circulate despite numerous experts explaining that this feat is as possible on one day of the year as any other. If you're skeptical, give this activity a try. With a little patience, anyone can stand an egg on its end.