The Galaxy Tastes Like Raspberries and Smells Like Rum

In 2009, astronomers hunting for the building blocks of life near the center of our galaxy stumbled upon something unexpected: space smells like a cocktail party. Using the IRAM 30-meter telescope in Spain, scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy detected ethyl formate—a molecule that gives raspberries their flavor and rum its distinctive smell—floating in a massive cloud of gas and dust.

The discovery happened in Sagittarius B2, one of the largest star-forming regions near our galactic center, about 26,000 light-years from Earth. This cosmic cloud, nicknamed the "Large Molecule Heimat" by researchers, is a hot, dense nursery where new stars are being born. It's also apparently a chemistry lab mixing up organic cocktails on an astronomical scale.

What Exactly Did They Find?

Ethyl formate (C2H5OCHO) is an ester—a class of organic molecules formed when acids and alcohols combine. On Earth, it's responsible for the sweet, fruity taste of raspberries and contributes to rum's characteristic aroma. But this wasn't the only complex molecule found in the cloud. Scientists also detected n-propyl cyanide, a highly toxic compound, proving that space has both the delicious and the deadly in its molecular mixology.

At the time of discovery, these were the most complex molecules of their respective chemical classes ever detected in interstellar space. The findings represented a major advancement in astrochemistry—the study of molecules floating between the stars.

How Do You Taste Something 26,000 Light-Years Away?

Astronomers can't actually smell or taste these molecules. Instead, they detect them through radio astronomy. Every molecule absorbs and emits electromagnetic radiation at specific frequencies, creating a unique spectral "fingerprint." By analyzing radio waves from distant gas clouds, scientists can identify which molecules are present.

The challenge? Sagittarius B2 contains hundreds of overlapping molecular signatures. As lead researcher Arnaud Belloche explained, it's like trying to identify individual instruments in an orchestra where everyone's playing different songs simultaneously. Finding ethyl formate required painstaking analysis of the radio spectrum to separate its signature from the cosmic noise.

Why It Matters Beyond the Novelty

While headlines focused on the "galaxy tastes like raspberries" angle, the real significance runs deeper. Scientists were actually searching for amino acids—the building blocks of proteins and potentially life itself. Though they didn't find amino acids in this particular hunt, discovering complex organic molecules like ethyl formate shows that the raw materials for life's chemistry exist throughout the galaxy.

These molecules form in the extreme conditions of interstellar space: near-absolute-zero temperatures, intense radiation, and densities far lower than any vacuum we can create on Earth. Yet somehow, the same chemical processes that create flavor compounds on Earth are happening naturally in the cosmos.

The discovery even inspired Torani, the syrup company, to create their 2024 Flavor of the Year called "Galaxy"—bringing the taste of space to your coffee, inspired by actual space chemistry.

The Universe's Unexpected Chemistry Set

Sagittarius B2 isn't unique in harboring interesting molecules. Astronomers have detected over 200 different molecules in interstellar space, including:

• Ethyl alcohol (the kind in alcoholic beverages) in clouds large enough to fill 400 trillion pints of beer
• Formaldehyde, the embalming chemical
• Cyanide compounds, which are highly toxic
• Complex carbon chains that could be precursors to even more elaborate organic chemistry

Each discovery adds another piece to the puzzle of how complex chemistry—and eventually life—emerges in the universe. The fact that a molecule responsible for raspberry flavor exists naturally in space doesn't mean the galaxy literally tastes sweet. But it does mean that the chemical ingredients for flavors, scents, and perhaps even life itself are being cooked up in stellar nurseries across the cosmos.

So while you can't take a bite out of the Milky Way, you can appreciate that the same molecules making your dessert delicious are floating in vast clouds near the heart of our galaxy—a cosmic kitchen operating on a scale almost impossible to comprehend.