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Rosetta Probe Reveals What a Comet Smells Like

An anonymous reader writes If you like the smell of rotten eggs, horse urine, formaldehyde, bitter almonds, alcohol, vinegar with a hint of sweet ether, you'd love the smell of a comet. Researchers at the University of Bern, in Switzerland, determined the odor of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko comet by analyzing the chemicals in its coma, the fuzzy head surrounding the nucleus. The molecules were collected by an instrument aboard the Rosetta spacecraft, which has been flying in tandem with the comet.

53 comments

  1. So, perfume? by St.Creed · · Score: 4, Funny

    Sounds like a list of ingredients for perfume. Rosetta perfume, anyone?

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    1. Re:So, perfume? by Frobnicator · · Score: 1

      Sounds like a list of ingredients for perfume. Rosetta perfume, anyone?

      Sure! I mean, I may not care much for horse urine, but we use components of urine in lots of perfumes.

      The combo of eggs, almonds, and vinegar sound tolerable as pickled eggs are a popular dish in many countries. And alcohol scented, no problems there. Sweet ether sounds reasonable, as well.

      Time to fire up the marketing machine.

      --
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    2. Re:So, perfume? by ChromeAeonium · · Score: 1

      If you like the smell of rotten eggs, horse urine, formaldehyde, bitter almonds, alcohol, vinegar with a hint of sweet ether,

      If only. That would be an upgrade to those synthetic smelling nasal assaults the department stores generously call perfumes.

    3. Re:So, perfume? by flyneye · · Score: 1

      No! He's describing Limburger.
      It's not the moon that's made of cheese, it's Comets!

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    4. Re:So, perfume? by SeaFox · · Score: 1

      Sounds like a list of ingredients for perfume. Rosetta perfume, anyone?

      Unlock the language of the opposite sex!

      (I know, we're talking about a comet here... but still)

  2. Stop and smell the roses by Calydor · · Score: 3, Funny

    So it smells like your average public men's restroom?

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    1. Re:Stop and smell the roses by flyneye · · Score: 1, Funny

      FELLATIO.
      A new scent by George Michael.

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      *Repent!Quit Your Job!Slack Off!The World Ends Tomorrow and You May Die!
  3. OMG! Can you smellllllll... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    what the ROCK is COOKING

  4. Smells like something that has been alive before? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's dead?

  5. Futurama by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    I'm waiting for the smelloscope! Think of the astronomical odors you'd be able to smell thanks to the smelloscope!!

    1. Re:Futurama by ArcadeMan · · Score: 2

      Hey, as long as you don't make me smell Uranus.

    2. Re:Futurama by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They changed the name to Urectum.

    3. Re:Futurama by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 1

      Be careful not to aim it towards the constellation of Pisces either; it's huge, the smell can be overwhelming.

      --
      Ezekiel 23:20
  6. So asteroids are intergalactic trash? by Opportunist · · Score: 1

    I mean, look at the ingredients, there's little in there that isn't simply the waste product of organic processing.

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    1. Re:So asteroids are intergalactic trash? by flyneye · · Score: 1

      Ever wonder what alien raced did with sewage in space?

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  7. Smelloscope? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Good news everyone!!

    1. Re:Smelloscope? by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 1

      Good news everyone!!

      We're all fired?

      --
      Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
    2. Re:Smelloscope? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Just don't make us smell Uranus, huh huh

  8. lots of organics by plopez · · Score: 2

    A bit surprising to me. It has implications for space colonization as organics are critical to food production and synthetic materials.

    --
    putting the 'B' in LGBTQ+
    1. Re:lots of organics by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sounds like it smells like an electrical fire, which is about what one would expect.

    2. Re:lots of organics by itzly · · Score: 1

      Why would you want to colonize a cold dark vacuum ?

    3. Re:lots of organics by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Pssst.... Don't make fun of other people's religion.

    4. Re:lots of organics by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Let's colon-ize Uranus.

    5. Re:lots of organics by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, why not colonize Uranus instead?

    6. Re:lots of organics by JWSmythe · · Score: 1

      The Klingons are already there.

      --
      Serious? Seriousness is well above my pay grade.
  9. Ooooold news by AchilleTalon · · Score: 0

    Why do I read that in /. a week later than in my very local newspaper.

    Will /. announce next week who finally won the WWII?

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    1. Re:Ooooold news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But you come here for the 'insightful' comments.

      I am about 1-2 days away from just adding 127.0.0.1 for www.slashdot.org into my hosts file. That way I will not be tempted to come here...

    2. Re:Ooooold news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Will /. announce next week who finally won the WWII?

      There were no winners, there were only survivors.

    3. Re:Ooooold news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Shut up, you roll-up smoking, kimbayaa singing communist faggot.

    4. Re:Ooooold news by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      But you come here for the 'insightful' comments.

      I am about 1-2 days away from just adding 127.0.0.1 for www.slashdot.org into my hosts file. That way I will not be tempted to come here...

      Don't let the door hit you on the ass on the way out.

      --
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  10. I always wondered what a comet smells like... by sootman · · Score: 1

    ... just don't make me smell Uranus. :D

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    1. Re:I always wondered what a comet smells like... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hint: rotten eggs = smells like nasty farts

  11. Liars! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I know they used a smell-o-scope!

  12. Poison! by hlub · · Score: 4, Interesting

    More than a century ago, many people were scared to death by the smell of another comet

  13. sex panther by BingmanO · · Score: 1

    60% of the time it works everytime

  14. Pics of comet by SternisheFan · · Score: 1
    And this is what the comet looks like, up close.

    www.imgur.com/a/TKI3r

    1. Re:Pics of comet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You just sold me space tourism

  15. cute description by confused+one · · Score: 0

    OK, so they found hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, water vapor, carbon dioxide, methanol, formaldehyde, and sulfur dioxide. Why the cute description? lowest common denominator? Trying to put it into perspective of average life experiences?

    1. Re: cute description by Dahan · · Score: 1

      Well, yeah, most people don't know what any of that smells like. I'm reminded of the Wikipedia article on Saffron, which says it smells like iodoform. Only chemists are going to know what iodoform is, much less what it smells like.

  16. Reminds Me of Some Apartments by sudon't · · Score: 1

    Reminds me of some apartments I woke up in during the seventies. Horse urine is weirdly specific, though.

    --
    -- sudon't

    Air-ride Equipped

    1. Re:Reminds Me of Some Apartments by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      For me, it sounds like an East European recipe for making bootleg drinks - Churyumov-Gerasimenko beer - it's as hard as it sounds.

  17. Money Well Spent by zawarski · · Score: 0

    Finally answering the age old question.

  18. Smelloscope by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    why does this remind me so much of that Futurama episode!! http://www.cc.com/video-clips/a6o404/futurama-smelloscope

  19. chicken by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ??

  20. My diamondium smells better by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    than your diamondillium

  21. Carl Sagan said; by __aanbvm4272 · · Score: 1

    "We are made of comet dust." Respect your makings.

  22. In other words by HangingChad · · Score: 3, Informative

    If you like the smell of rotten eggs, horse urine, formaldehyde, bitter almonds, alcohol, vinegar with a hint of sweet ether,

    In other words, a comet smells like a college frat house.

    --
    That's our life, the big wheel of shit. - The Fat Man, Blue Tango Salvage
  23. The one that killed the dinosaurs.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    ..blasted out a huge fart smell which became encoded in the survivors' genes. Millions of years later, every time my coworker farts in my office, that 65 million year old genetic alarm is triggered and he becomes death, the destroyer of worlds.

  24. The sorry state of journalism by Livius · · Score: 1

    "Smell" is just a sensationalized way of saying chemical composition.

    It's not like the human smell faculty would work in a vacuum.

  25. Smells LIke? by Mr.+Droopy+Drawers · · Score: 1

    Smells like Air Pressure?

    --

    To Copy from One is Plagiarism; To Copy from Many is Research.

  26. Refueling source? by mrego · · Score: 1

    Seems like enough chemicals to possibly use for fuel.

  27. In other words by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    God Farted