Uranus Apparently Smells Likes Farts, Study Shows

Nov 19, 2018 by apost team

Uranus has been the butt of many middle school astronomy jokes due to its rather inauspicious name.

A new discovery may make this planet even more to those of us with the humor of a twelve-year-old boy. According to recent discoveries, this planet likely smells of flatulence.

Astronomers and physicists often use the wavelength of gases to determine their composition from afar. This is more complicated in planets with a mixed atmosphere. Uranus is one of these planets.

Although scientists were able to determine that the atmosphere was made up of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide, they could not determine which was the dominant gas. New information, however, suggests that hydrogen sulfide is indeed the majority gas on the planet's surface.

This is significant because hydrogen sulfide is known on earth for its distinctive smell, like rotten eggs. It is a significant part of human flatulence, giving our farts their distinctive unpleasant odor. Thus, one could conclude that Uranus smells like farts, creating a new layer of jokes for scientists who still love fart jokes (that is, all of us!).

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Does hydrogen sulfide keep its distinctive smell even in another part of the solar system? This actually appears to be up for debate. First, due to the temperature on the planet, the hydrogen sulfide in the lower ground deck is actually solid.

Solids do not produce as much smell as gases, as they cannot be inhaled. Hydrogen sulfide ice simply does not lend itself as well to fart jokes.

Second, while hydrogen sulfide smells like human farts at 3 to 5 parts per million, it actually has a different smell at higher concentrations. Most people report that it smells incredibly sweet - until it knocks you out. It is a highly poisonous gas, so few people have smelled it at significant concentration for very long.

Although Uranus is the most obvious planet for science-related fart jokes, it may not be the only one with a significant amount of hydrogen sulfide in its atmosphere. Researchers have already postulated that Neptune's atmosphere has a similar composition. Its atmosphere has the same hazy appearance, for example, as well as a similar height.

In fact, scientists believe it may actually have more "rotten egg gas" than Uranus, a joke in itself.

However, other planets are unlikely to share the distinctive smell of both Uranus and Neptune - due to size and distance from the sun. Saturn and Jupiter are believed to have a very different atmospheric makeup.

Science may seem boring to those trapped in a physics lab, but it is actually a rich source of comedy. What could be funnier than Uranus smelling like farts? Even if you do not find this hilarious, there is likely a 12-year-old boy in your life who will see the humor.

This story just may enable you to find out which of your friends has a less than a refined sense of humor!

What did you think of this article? Did you find it as hilarious as we did? Let us know in the comments - and don't forget to share!