Comets apparently stink, said astronomers from the European Space Agency based on months of observations taken by the Rosetta spacecraft trailing comet 67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

The comet is emitting pungent gas vapors created by "out gassing" in which the comet's ice is turned to water vapor by sunlight. Astronomers said the stench of the toxic gases stems from a deadly mix of ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, hydrogen sulfide and formaldehyde. 

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They describe these smell of these powerful vapors as similar to rotten eggs and horse urine. According to the ESA website, the comet smell is so distinctive that anyone who wants to take a whiff of it would instantly wish they hadn't.

These vapors emanating from the comet were carefully analyzed by Rosetta's mass spectrometer that measures the signatures of gases boiling in the comet's head, or the coma, as the comet approaches the sun.

Scientists are ecstatic at discovering the comet's composition since the comet's chemical fumes could reveal evidence about the early origins of the solar system.

Comet 67P hails from the Kuiper Belt, a region in the solar system extending from Neptune to Pluto's outskirts. Its gaseous composition is also similar to other comets from the Oort cloud.

Researchers believe further study of comets from these regions can provide a better understanding of how the solar system was formed.

The Rosetta probe is the first ever spacecraft to orbit around a comet. It traveled in deep space for 10 years chasing 67P. It rendezvoused with the comet last August.

In November, Rosetta will launch a robotic lander called Philae equipped with scientific instruments to study the terrain and makeup of the comet for six months.

The comet is named after Klim Ivanovych Churyumov and Svetlana Ivanovna Gerasimenko, who first detected the comet in 1969.

Described as possessing an odd duck shape, comet 67P is known to have an icy nucleus. The comet orbits the sun every 6.45 years.

TagsWhat a Comet Smells Like: 67P Apparently Reeks of Rotten Eggs, ESA, comet 67P, rosetta, comet 67P smells stinks rotten eggs