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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.

30 of 53 comments (clear)

  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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  3. 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 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.

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  4. 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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  5. 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?

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  6. 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.

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

      Why would you want to colonize a cold dark vacuum ?

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

      The Klingons are already there.

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

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

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

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

  9. sex panther by BingmanO · · Score: 1

    60% of the time it works everytime

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

    www.imgur.com/a/TKI3r

  11. 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.

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    Air-ride Equipped

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

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

  13. 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.

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  14. 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.

  15. 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. 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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  17. 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.

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

    Smells like Air Pressure?

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

    Seems like enough chemicals to possibly use for fuel.