QuestionsPhosphine in the clouds of VenusCan the claimed phosphine be reconciled with the upper limits from other instruments?Answer
Answer · Phosphine in the clouds of Venus
Phosphine varies with altitude and time, destroyed by sunlight high up and more abundant within the clouds,…
Phosphine varies with altitude and time, destroyed by sunlight high up and more abundant within the clouds, so the limits and detections sample different conditions.
Where it stands
Still possibleIts tests haven't settled it: two pieces of evidence for, none against. It needs two reviews to be accepted.
What it predicts
- Detections cluster at particular local solar times or epochs.
- Abundance rises with depth into the clouds.
What would rule it out
- Repeated non-detections by sensitive instruments at the times and depths where detections are claimed.
Evidence 2 for · none against
FOR
The questions it answers
Most likelyThe upper limits exclude phosphine at the claimed levels
Cite it
Mysteries Department. (2026). Phosphine varies with altitude and time, destroyed by sunlight high up and more abundant within the clouds,… [Answer ANS0CQY21AG099B]. https://mysteriesdept.com/r/ANS0CQY21AG099B
@misc{mysteriesdept_ans0cqy21ag099b,
title = {Phosphine varies with altitude and time, destroyed by sunlight high up and more abundant within the clouds,…},
author = {{Mysteries Department}},
year = {2026},
note = {Answer, catalog key ANS0CQY21AG099B},
url = {https://mysteriesdept.com/r/ANS0CQY21AG099B}
}