The centre of the Milky Way galaxy smells like raspberries and rum
Some trivia is so bizarre it forces you to rethink your entire understanding of the world. Check out the fact below, see how others reacted, and scroll down to dive into the verified science and history behind it.
In 2009, astronomers searching for amino acids in the gas clouds of Sagittarius B2 — a massive molecular cloud near the Milky Way's centre — discovered ethyl formate, the compound responsible for the flavour and smell of raspberries. The same cloud also contains ethanol (the alcohol in rum). The cloud is 150 light-years across and contains 10 billion billion billion litres of alcohol. You cannot drink it — the cloud also contains toxic compounds — but space does smell like a dessert cocktail.
The centre of our galaxy has a distinct flavour and smell profile, and it is the wrong kind of absurd to describe as anything other than one of the universe's best jokes.
The Science Behind It
In 2009, astronomers searching for amino acids in the gas clouds of Sagittarius B2 — a massive molecular cloud near the Milky Way's centre — discovered ethyl formate, the compound responsible for the flavour and smell of raspberries. The same cloud also contains ethanol (the alcohol in rum). The cloud is 150 light-years across and contains 10 billion billion billion litres of alcohol. You cannot drink it — the cloud also contains toxic compounds — but space does smell like a dessert cocktail.
Why Your Brain Finds This Hard to Believe
OddlyHuman Editorial
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