Space probe Rosetta gets a whiff of Comet 67P, and that’s what is smells like: Pee

WE’RE about to catch a comet. And it’s going to be whiffy. Scientists have for the first time found out what a comet’s tail smells like.

WE’RE about to catch a comet. And it’s going to be whiffy. Scientists have for the first time found out what a comet’s tail smells like.

Kitty-litter trays. Rotten eggs.

That is the essence of eu de comet.

In the kitty-litter ... Space probe Rosetta has beamed back close-up images of a comet’s surface. Source: ESA

According to the European Space Agency’s Rosetta space probe program, which is about to set a lander down on the surface of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko — it wasn’t expecting to get such a strong whiff so early.

And while the news is on the nose, it’s actually a good sign.

The molecules which cause the smell (ammonia, hydrogen sulfide and hydrogen cyanide) are bundled together with water and carbon dioxide. There’s also traces of methanol, formaldehyde and sulphur dioxide.

Lumpy bits ... An analysis of gases being emitted by comet 67P reveal it to be somewhat on the nose. Source: ESA

Scientists hadn’t expected the comet to be emitting such substances yet.

“What’s surprising is we already have extremely rich chemistry at this distance from the Sun,” said Rosetta Orbiter program analyst Kathrin Altwegg.

But there’s no fear of Earth’s atmosphere turning rancid if we were to pass through the tail. The molecules are in a very low concentration.

Even standing on the surface of the snowball in space, “you would probably need a good dog to smell it,” Altwegg said.

Varied surface ... A composite of four images reveal the variety of terrain on 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko’s surface. Source: ESA

Meanwhile, the closest and highest-resolution photos of a comet every have been beamed back by the Rosetta space probe.

They reveal a rocky landscape, riddled with dunes, cliffs and craters.

Rosetta is due to land a fridge-sized craft on the surface of the comet to conduct experiments on its composition.