Buzz
Poor Uranus: After being the subject of endless schoolyard humor, the planet's smell now lives up to its infamous name. A new study conducted by researchers at the University of Oxford and other institutions, published in the journal Nature Astronomy, reveals that the upper layer of Uranus's atmosphere is largely made up of hydrogen sulfide— the same compound that causes farts to have their unpleasant odor.
Scientists had long speculated that Uranus's clouds contained hydrogen sulfide, but this was only recently confirmed. Certain gases absorb infrared light from the Sun, and by analyzing the infrared patterns captured using the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii, astronomers were able to gain a clearer understanding of Uranus’s atmospheric makeup.
In addition to making farts smell bad, hydrogen sulfide is also responsible for the characteristic stench of sewers and rotten eggs. However, the presence of this gas on Uranus holds more significance than just causing amusement: It could provide vital insights into the solar system’s formation. Unlike Uranus (and most likely its icy counterpart Neptune), the gas giants Saturn and Jupiter show no signs of hydrogen sulfide in their upper atmospheres. Instead, they are filled with ammonia, a toxic substance used in heavy-duty cleaning products.
"The distribution of nitrogen and sulfur in our solar system’s early formation, and by extension the presence of ammonia and Uranus's newly identified hydrogen sulfide, was determined by temperature and where the planet formed," explained Leigh Fletcher, a research team member from the University of Leicester, in a press statement. In essence, the gases in Uranus’s atmosphere might offer clues about the planet's original location in the solar system before it moved to its current position.
From a distance, the hydrogen sulfide in Uranus’s atmosphere marks an exciting breakthrough. But up close, it’s a silent, lethal threat. In large enough quantities, the compound is fatal to humans. However, if anyone were to walk on Uranus without a spacesuit, they would face far worse: The -300°F temperatures combined with hydrogen, helium, and methane gases at the surface would result in instant death.
