# Potential detection of phosphine on Venus

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potential-detection-of-phosphine-on-venus/920563>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Tags:** science-math\
**Created:** [September 14, 2020, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potential-detection-of-phosphine-on-venus/920563 "2020-09-14T13:39:36Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\
**Post date:** [July 30, 2024, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potential-detection-of-phosphine-on-venus/920563/41 "2024-07-30T06:43:32Z")

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> [@LSLGuy](#):
>
> I think we can pretty well put the final nails in the coffin of the idea of phosphine on Venus.

Not so fast!

> **[The discovery of a possible sign of life in Venus’ clouds sparked...](https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/29/science/venus-gases-phosphine-ammonia/index.html)**
>
> Researchers’ detection of two gases, phosphine and ammonia, in the clouds of Venus raises speculation about possible life forms in the planet’s atmosphere.

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [July 30, 2024, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potential-detection-of-phosphine-on-venus/920563/42 "2024-07-30T19:12:07Z")

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I don’t know about the phosphine, but of course they found ammonia. It’d be remarkable if they didn’t.

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**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\
**Post date:** [July 30, 2024, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potential-detection-of-phosphine-on-venus/920563/43 "2024-07-30T20:49:43Z")

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> [@Chronos](#):
>
> of course they found ammonia. It’d be remarkable if they didn’t.

How you figure? Ammonia is composed of nitrogen and hydrogen. Venus has nitrogen (roughly the same amount as Earth), but the one element Venus is really deficient in is hydrogen.

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [July 30, 2024, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potential-detection-of-phosphine-on-venus/920563/44 "2024-07-30T21:07:59Z")

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You can’t avoid all hydrogen. When high-energy protons (i.e., hydrogen ions) from the solar wind hit Venus, it’s natural that they’d turn some of the nitrogen into ammonia.

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