The smells of space: the planets (2024)

FAQs

What does space space smell like? ›

During the Apollo moon landings, the astronauts described the scent as gunpowder-like, while those who went to the international space station (ISS) compared it to burnt steak.

Mercury has a very sparse atmosphere and so would not have much of a smell at all. Venus and Mars, much like Uranus, have substantial quantities of eggy hydrogen sulphide. For Jupiter, the smell would depend on where you were in the atmosphere.

Pluto's atmosphere (when it has one), as well as much of its surface, is comprised of nitrogen, methane, and carbon dioxide. All of which are considered to be odorless gasses. About the only thing found in abundance on Pluto's surface that might have a smell would be water-ice.

One of these compounds, hydrogen sulfide, accounts for that rotten egg smell I mentioned earlier. The European Space Agency sums it up best saying, if you can smell the comet, you would probably wish that you hadn't. Smiley face.

Those aboard the Apollo moon landings described the scent as gunpowder-like. On the other hand, those who traversed the International Space Station compared the smell to burnt steak. The upper atmosphere of Uranus is made up of hydrogen sulfide, the compound that creates the smell of rotten eggs and human farts.

After walking on the Moon astronauts hopped back into their lunar lander, bringing Moon dust with them. They were surprised, and perplexed, to find that it smelled like spent gunpowder.

Morie suspects that the predominant Mars odor is a slightly acrid, gassy smell of sulfur compounds, with a chalky, sweet overtone punching through. This scent would become a big part of Red Planet settlers' lives.

Based strictly on chemical analysis, some scientists have concluded that the center of our galaxy smells like raspberries, and tastes like rum.

It kind of stinks. "When astronauts return from space walks and remove their helmets, they are welcomed back with a peculiar smell. An odor that is distinct and weird: something, astronauts have described it, like "seared steak." And also: "hot metal." And also: "welding fumes." (What Space Smells Like ).

The atmosphere on Mars is mostly carbon dioxide. However, the dirt is primarily iron oxide, which gives its ochre tint, much like central Australia. The atmosphere also has sulfur and acids. This means Mars would most likely have a desert-like acid smell, with some interesting overtones.

What is the smell of Saturn? ›

Saturn's atmosphere for the most part would be practically odorless, as most of the gas in its atmosphere is hydrogen.

Foul Clouds

Venus' sulfuric acid clouds smell like rotten eggs.

But the truth is that the sun itself doesn't have a smell — or if it does, we can't get a whiff of it. So what we're left with is the "smell" of outside air. And that's where the story gets interesting, because it turns out that air really does smell differently based on whether it's a warm, sunny day or a cold one.

Jupiter, that giant planet of swirling gas, smells different depending on which layer you're inhaling. The lighter layers of gas smell like ammonia (think cleaning products and urine), and a little deeper, it's ammonia as well as rotten egg.

Ozone has a very characteristic pungent odor, sometimes described as like chlorine bleach, and it can sometimes be detected after lightning strikes or during electrical discharges. Individual humans vary in their ability to smell ozone; some people can smell it at levels as low as 0.05 ppm.

In fact, we can even recreate the smell of the heart of the galaxy—astronomers searching for animo acids in Sagittarius B2, a vast dust cloud in the middle of the Milky Way, have reported that due to a substance called ethyl formate, it smells and tastes of raspberries and rum—much more pleasant than seared steak and ...

Astronauts have reported smelling “burned” or “fried” steak after a space walk, and they aren't just dreaming of a home-cooked meal. The smell of space is so distinct that, three years ago, NASA reached out to Steven Pearce of the fragrance maker Omega Ingredients to re-create the odor for its training simulations.

The Smell of Space

"…a rather pleasant metallic sensation... [like] ... sweet-smelling welding fumes, burning metal, a distinct odour of ozone, an acrid smell, walnuts and brake pads, gunpowder, fruit, rum, and even burnt almond cookie."