# The absorption is phosphine.

> Disputed: The absorption is phosphine.

Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/venus-phosphine/answers/ANS0CQY1YWC27F9/the-absorption-is-phosphine  
Publisher: Mysteries Department  
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (credit Mysteries Department and link the page)  

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[Questions](https://mysteriesdept.com/questions)[Phosphine in the clouds of Venus](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/venus-phosphine)[If the line is real, is it phosphine or sulphur dioxide?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/venus-phosphine/questions/QST0CQY1TQJ1W8Q/if-the-line-is-real-is-it-phosphine-or-sulphur-dioxide)Answer

Answer · Phosphine in the clouds of Venus

# The absorption is phosphine.

The absorption is phosphine.

**Disputed** Answers **1** questionPublished0

## Where it stands

**Disputed** Three pieces of evidence for, two against. It needs two reviews to be accepted.

## What it predicts

- Other phosphine transitions at the expected strengths.
- SO2 reference lines too weak to account for the feature.

## What would rule it out

- Non-detection of phosphine's other transitions at levels the claimed abundance requires, at the same altitudes.

## Evidence 3 for · 2 against

[Pioneer Venus Large Probe mass spectra at 51.3 km are assigned in part to phosphine.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/venus-phosphine/evidence/EVD0CQY1ZKT3SG7/pioneer-venus-large-probe-mass-spectra-at-51-3-km-are)

Suggestive

FOR

[SO2 contamination is estimated at about 10 per cent (JCMT) and 2 per cent or less (ALMA).](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/venus-phosphine/evidence/EVD0CQY1ZC00HT5/so2-contamination-is-estimated-at-about-10-per-cent-jcmt-and)

Suggestive

FOR

[The line is wider than SO2 features and the SO2 abundance needed would be an extreme outlier.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/venus-phosphine/evidence/EVD0CQY1Z461KS9/the-line-is-wider-than-so2-features-and-the-so2-abundance)

Suggestive

FOR

[IRTF/TEXES infrared spectra give a 3-sigma limit of 5 ppbv near the cloud tops.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/venus-phosphine/evidence/EVD0CQY203E64PW/irtf-texes-infrared-spectra-give-a-3-sigma-limit-of-5-ppbv)

Supported

AGAINST

[SOFIA found no phosphine lines at 533 and 1,067 GHz, limit 0.8 ppb at 75–110 km.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/venus-phosphine/evidence/EVD0CQY1ZVM37ZF/sofia-found-no-phosphine-lines-at-533-and-1-067-ghz-limit-0)

Supported

AGAINST

## The questions it answers

[If the line is real, is it phosphine or sulphur dioxide?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/venus-phosphine/questions/QST0CQY1TQJ1W8Q/if-the-line-is-real-is-it-phosphine-or-sulphur-dioxide)

Part of [Is there a real absorption line at 266.94 GHz in the Venus spectra?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/venus-phosphine/questions/QST0CQY1TFR14XV/is-there-a-real-absorption-line-at-266-94-ghz-in-the-venus)

Open3 answers, none ahead

## Cite it

```
Mysteries Department. (2026). The absorption is phosphine. [Answer ANS0CQY1YWC27F9]. https://mysteriesdept.com/r/ANS0CQY1YWC27F9
```

Key

**ANS** 0CQY1YWC27F9

Kind

Answer · hypothesis

Origin

Published

Version

1

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