Eau De Comet: Space Perfume Smells Like Cat Pee

The scent might not be suitable for a big date, because it smells of rotten eggs, cat urine, and bitter almonds.

A perfume which smells like the surface of a comet has been created by a British firm.

Samples of the aroma of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, as sniffed by the Philae lander, will be dished out at an event in London next week.

But you might not want to splash it on before a big date - because it smells like rotten eggs, cat urine, and bitter almonds.

The New Scientist's Jacob Aron, who had a sneak preview of the scent, wrote: "I almost feel the smell as a physical presence inside my skull.

"The full heft of 67P’s bouquet hits me in the face. Surprisingly, it’s not actually as foul as my first impression led me to believe – somehow a few floral notes are now coming through."

The Philae lander landed on the comet more than a decade after it departed Earth.

The European Space Agency vehicle touched down in a pinpoint operation in November 2014 but lost power because its solar-driven batteries were in the shade.

The probe woke up in June as the comet approached the Sun, giving scientists hope that the lander could complete some experiments.

But in February the German Aerospace Center (DLR) said Philae is likely to be covered in dust and too cold to operate.

The scent was commissioned by Colin Snodgrass from the Open University, and was created by The Aroma Company.

The smell comes from the presence of hydrogen sulphide, ammonia, and hydrogen cyanide - but as some of those are poisonous the creators had to improvise to create the scent.

Samples are due to be handed out at the Royal Society summer exhibition in London next month.

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