What smells on the planets of the solar system
What smells on the planets of the solar system
Have you ever wondered what smells on different planets of the solar system? Of course, you still won’t be able to sniff - after all, you can’t do without a reliable spacesuit and a supply of oxygen. But you can roughly estimate.
We can study the composition of the planets using spectral analysis methods. After all, each substance leaves its mark in the radiation. Therefore, we can imagine what kind of smell reigns in the atmospheres of each of the planets.
On Venus, with its excess of hydrogen sulfide, you should expect a strong smell of rotten eggs. On Mars, oddly enough, too, although the smell will be very faint, due to the rarefied atmosphere. It is impossible to breathe there, but if a person suddenly could, he would hardly have felt this smell.
Black dunes on Mars
With Jupiter, the situation is more complicated. Jupiter consists of several layers with slightly different smells. The outer layers are high in ammonia, so they smell like window cleaner. The inner layers smell of bitter almonds due to their hydrogen cyanide content.
Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are similar to Jupiter. It is predominantly ammonia.
Mercury has no atmosphere - due to its proximity to the Sun, all the molecules were blown away by the solar wind.
But with the moon is more interesting. This is the only planet that managed to ... sniff. Apollo 17 astronaut Eugene Cernan recalls smelling the lunar dust they brought into the spacecraft. And moon dust, he said, smells…. spent gunpowder. As if right after the shot!
Oddly enough, the composition of lunar dust is completely different from gunpowder: it is mainly silicon dioxide. It contains iron, calcium and magnesium. Modern smokeless powder based on cellulose nitrate has nothing to do with the composition of lunar dust.
As the astronauts recall, the lunar dust was incredibly sticky, sticking to boots, gloves, and other exposed surfaces.
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