What does a comet smell like?

It’s absolutely awful, at least according to scientists researching the comet 67P/C-G. The Rosetta space probe is tracking the comet and is scheduled to make a historic landing on its surface next month. One curious finding is that the cosmic body stinks to high heaven. As the 2.5 mile-wide comet nears the sun, chemicals within its rock and ice formation begin to vaporize, creating the nasty whiff.

The perfume of 67P/C-G is quite strong, with the odor of rotten eggs (hydrogen sulphide), horse stable (ammonia), and the pungent, suffocating odor of formaldehyde.

researcher Kathrin Altwegg

Science comet