{"id":652749,"date":"2026-05-07T01:46:15","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T01:46:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/652749\/"},"modified":"2026-05-07T01:46:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T01:46:15","slug":"pee-planet-scientists-discover-distant-planet-with-atmosphere-that-actually-smells-like-urine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/652749\/","title":{"rendered":"Pee planet: Scientists discover distant planet with atmosphere that actually smells like urine"},"content":{"rendered":"

Scientists\u2019 observations from the James Webb Space Telescope are going viral after they discovered that an exoplanet 12 lightyears away has an atmosphere that smells like urine.<\/p>\n

Yep, you read that correctly: April 2026 findings from the James Webb Space Telescope have determined that the gas planet \u2018Epsilon Indi Ab\u2019 has cirrus clouds full of ammonia, a chemical found in the urine of both humans and animals.<\/p>\n

Epsilon Indi Ab was first discovered in 2002 and was officially confirmed to exist in 2018. It is considered an exoplanet, which NASA defines<\/a> as any planet outside our own solar system and orbits a star other than our sun.<\/p>\n

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In the 20-plus years since its discovery, scientists have been carefully observing the gas giant, and most recently found the presence of water-ice clouds in its atmosphere.<\/p>\n

\"NASA'sNASAEpsilon Indi Ab is a massive gas planet 12 lightyears away from Earth.<\/p>\n

\u2018Piss planet\u2019s\u2019 pungent atmosphere goes viral<\/p>\n

More specifically, these clouds are similar to cirrus clouds that are found in high altitudes in Earth\u2019s atmosphere. But while our clouds carry mostly water vapor, the clouds on Epsilon Indi Ab are far more pungent.<\/p>\n

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Scientists first theorized that, much like Jupiter<\/a>, this exoplanet must have \u201cmassive amounts of ammonia gas and clouds,\u201d which would make the air smell overwhelmingly of pee. (Imagine stepping outside and getting hit in the face with the signature stench of a full litter box \u2014 yikes!)\u00a0<\/p>\n

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While there is still a good amount of ammonia present, a comparison between the two planets showed \u201csomewhat less ammonia than expected.\u201d<\/p>\n

That hasn\u2019t stopped the internet from latching onto this factoid and running with it, though, with users already having nicknamed Epsilon Indi Ab the \u2018Piss Planet\u2019 on social media.<\/p>\n

PISS PLANET FOUND<\/p>\n

JWST discovered Epsilon Indi Ab \u2014 a Jupiter-sized beast 7.6x Jupiter\u2019s mass with an ammonia-rich atmosphere that literally smells like piss. pic.twitter.com\/pw5yDAc43l<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 ISSPissTracker (@ISSPissTracker) May 5, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a great problem to have, and it speaks to the immense progress we\u2019re making thanks to JWST,\u201d astronomer James Mang said<\/a>. \u201cWhat once seemed impossible to detect is now within reach, allowing us to probe the structure of these atmospheres, including the presence of clouds.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cThis reveals new layers of complexity that our models are now beginning to capture, and opens the door to even more detailed characterization of these cold, distant worlds.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Epsilon Indi Ab<\/a> is a gas giant-type exoplanet that orbits a K-type star \u2013 that is, a smaller, cooler, and longer-lasting than G-type stars like our own. It is considered a \u2018super-Jupiter,\u2019 as its mass is several times more<\/a> than that of our solar system\u2019s planet, but has a similar composition to the gas giant.<\/p>\n

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This is the latest hilarious space-related discovery to go viral after scientists warned the Artemis II crew that their farts could be genuinely dangerous<\/a> in the Orion spacecraft.<\/p>\n