smell of space

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smell: of Space Imagines that you can go to an outdoor location, take off your helmet, and hold your breath - without any serious death. Will there be a smell in the surrounding universe?

The smell of space is important because they can tell us a lot about the chemical composition of our galaxy, revealing the secrets of our solar system.

We consider space as void, pitch-dark, dead silent and devoid of air. Probably doesn't smell like that place, right? As it turns out, space actually has a distinctive smell. Although we cannot smell anything in outer space, because as we mentioned, the person trying to do so will die almost immediately, the smell we can detect is from things and objects that came back from space It is known.

For example, space suits smell differently, as they return from space before blast-off. Astronauts returning from space claim that the lingering smell of space is "penetrating" and "metallic", which reminds astronauts of the flesh or welding of hashish.

What causes this unpleasant smell?

Scientists believe that it can come from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons). This is a mouthful, but these things are basically high-powered particles that are released into space during nuclear reactions that are power stars and supernovas.

However, this 'smell' is one of the many odors that can occur in space. The universe is vast, after all, filled with many different elements and compounds. Scientists have a good idea of ​​what makes up a lot of "space stuff", which can give them a better idea of ​​what it might "smell" like. Most memorably, the dust cloud in the center of the Milky Way contains a large number of ethyl formats.

It is the compound that gives the taste of raspberries, on earth. Yes, Raspberry. What's more, the ethyl form itself is formed from a reaction between an acid and a type of alcohol, which gives it an odor similar to rum. (Ironically, alcohol is one of the foods that are banned from space.)