Did You Know: Mars, Venus Has Rotten Egg Smell and the Moon Smells

Scientists rely on the chemical composition that is predominantly in the atmosphere of each planet to determine their smell without putting their foot on it to smell. This article explains the key facts and context behind rotten egg smell.

Key Facts About Rotten Egg Smell

Since Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun, most of the atmosphere here is affected by the solar wind. The atmosphere on this planet is very fragile, the main component is sodium so the planet is almost odorless.

The atmosphere on Venus is extremely dense and has a pressure greater than 90 times the atmospheric pressure on Earth's sea surface. It is also filled with sulfuric acid clouds so the planet has a pungent odor of rotten eggs.

The Martian atmosphere with a synthesis of iron, acid, magnesium, sulfur in an atmosphere of high CO2 should also have the smell of Venus.

Why Rotten Egg Smell Matters

Jupiter has many different atmospheric layers, so the smell of this gas giant varies with the atmosphere. The outer atmosphere contains a lot of ammonia, so it smells like glass cleaner, while the lower atmosphere contains lots of hydrogen cyanide, so it has an almond-like odor.

Scientists have not identified the smell on Saturn, but the planet's Titan moon with a nitrogen atmosphere could potentially smell like a petroleum refinery.

Uranus is almost odorless because its atmosphere contains hydrogen, helium and about 2% of methane. Neptune has a smell similar to Uranus.

Because astronauts set foot on the Moon to collect samples of rock on this planet, scientists need not judge what it smells like. According to astronauts, the satellite smells like gunpowder after burning.