Bob Berman on what causes smell

    In the Saunterer’s mail the other day was the July, 2011, issue of Astronomy. Half of the reason we subscribe is for Bob Berman’s column. This month’s was on “The Smell of Space.” Here’s an extract:

To have any smell at all, atoms must cling to our nasal membranes. This is why large molecules like tetracycline or DNA have no odor – they’re too big to stick to our noses. But truly large molecules are rare beyond Earth, so most celestial objects would indeed have some sort of scent. Unfortunately, the universe does not smell like roses. Parts of the solar system generate foul substances. Io’s volcanoes spew out putrid sulfur dioxide. Jupiter’s environment is worse than a college dorm. Uranus and Neptune are rife with ammonia. No, you don’t want to go around sniffing the solar system.
    Even the Moon may stink. When Michael Collins received Apollo 11's samples, the containers had lots of lunar dust on them, which wafted into the command module. Collins said it smelled awful.

    For a brief biography of Bob Berman, click here. For some images of or relating to Bob Berman, click here.