From cat urine to gunpowder: Exploring the peculiar smells of outer space

Scientists are analysing the smells of space – from Earth's nearest neighbours to planets hundreds of light years away – to learn about the make-up of the Universe.

Jupiter, says Marina Barcenilla, is "a bit like a stink bomb".

The largest planet in the solar system, Jupiter has several layers of cloud, she explains, and each layer has a different chemical composition. The gas giant might tempt you in with the sweet aroma of its "poisonous marzipan clouds", she says. Then the smell "would only get worse as you go deeper".

"You would probably wish you were dead before you got to the point where you were crushed by the pressure," she says.

"The top layer of cloud, we believe, is made of ammonia ice," says Barcenilla, likening the stench to that of cat urine." Then, as you get further down, you encounter ammonium sulphide. That's when you have ammonia and sulphur together – a combination made in hell." Sulphurous compounds are famously responsible for stinking of rotting eggs.

If you were able to explore deeper still, she continues, you would encounter Jupiter's characteristic stripes and swirls. "Jupiter has these thick bands that are coloured. We think that some of these colours might be created by plumes of ammonia and phosphorus." There are also potentially some organic molecules called tholins, complex organic molecules related to gasoline. So, Jupiter, she says, may also have a note of petroleum "oiliness" with a blast of garlic.

Barcenilla is a space scientist, fragrance designer and astrobiology PhD student at the University of Westminster, London. In her early years studying the cosmos, she found herself constantly wondering, "what would that smell like">window._taboola = window._taboola || []; _taboola.push({ mode: 'alternating-thumbnails-a', container: 'taboola-below-article', placement: 'Below Article', target_type: 'mix' });