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The Why Files: Operation Podcast

What does outer space smell like? (You're not gonna like it.)

The Why Files: Operation Podcast

The Why Files

Science Fiction, Science, Society & Culture, Life Sciences, Fiction, Documentary

4.89.4K Ratings

🗓️ 26 June 2022

⏱️ 13 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

What does the moon smell like? Do planets, comets, asteroids and space have their own odors?  The smells of the universe are not universal. Different objects in space — comets, planets, moons and gas clouds — all have their own distinctive aroma.   Twelve people have walked on the Moon and all of them agree: the Moon smells like gunpowder.   According to Space.com, astronaut Jack Schmitt said: “All I can say is that everyone's instant impression of the smell was that of spent gunpowder, not that it was 'metallic' or 'acrid'. Spent gunpowder smell probably was much more implanted in our memories than other comparable odors.”   The Earth has a variety of smells, depending on what environment you're in. But what about the other planets in our solar system? Venus has a crushing carbon dioxide atmosphere, while Jupiter's atmosphere is stormy and turbulent. While we can see what color and understand the conditions on these planets, what do they actually smell like? Scientists hadn’t found clear evidence of the planet’s chemical composition until now.   Yes, it has been confirmed that Uranus smells like... farts. Astronomers recently found that the atmosphere of Uranus has high levels of hydrogen sulphide, a compound that smells like rotten eggs. 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. Some regions have high concentrations of ammonia, hydrogen sulphide and others hydrogen cyanide (bitter almonds). Saturn and Neptune probably don’t have much of a smell because they’re composed chiefly of the odorless gases hydrogen and helium.   Let's find out why. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thewhyfiles/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Hi everyone, this is James Harkin and Anna Toshinsky, two writers of the TV show QI and

0:06.1

two-fourths of the hip-podcast, no such thing as a fish.

0:09.5

We'd like to let you know that we've written a book.

0:11.9

It is called Everything to Play for.

0:14.0

The most interesting things there are to know about the world of sports, it's for you,

0:18.5

whether you like sports or not.

0:20.2

Did you know that legendary Cricketer Gary Sobers scored his final century while drunk?

0:26.1

Or that games of lacrosse used to involve 100,000 players.

0:32.0

Learn that and so much more by getting everything to play for the QI Book of Sports available

0:36.3

in all bookshops and online right now.

0:39.3

Hey, it's your buddy A.J. from The White Files.

0:42.0

It's an Hekelfish.

0:43.0

Right.

0:44.0

An Hekelfish.

0:45.0

We just wanted to tell you that if you want to start a podcast, Spotify makes it easy.

0:48.5

They have to be easy for humans to understand it.

0:50.8

We've stopped that.

0:51.8

I'm just saying.

0:52.8

Spotify for podcasters lets you record and edit podcasts from your computer.

0:56.9

I don't have a computer.

0:57.9

Do you have a phone?

0:59.3

Of course I have a phone.

...

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