One modern hypothesis links Venus's ashen light to lightning activity on the planet.
Notes on verification
Multiple independent sources (Sky at Night Magazine, Universe Today, ScienceDirect, Explaining Science) confirm lightning was proposed as an explanation for Venus's ashen light, though the hypothesis is now largely considered outdated/superseded by airglow/auroral theories. [tier=gold indep_score=0.87 clusters=5 claim_tier=notable]
Sources
- Ashen light (wikipedia)
- https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/space-science/ashen-light-mystery-venus-dark-side-glow (corroboration)
- https://explainingscience.org/2025/11/15/the-mystery-of-the-ashen-light-of-venus/ (corroboration)
- https://www.universetoday.com/94848/the-mystery-of-venus-ashen-light-2/ (corroboration)
- http://www-ssc.igpp.ucla.edu/personnel/russell/papers/ashen/ (corroboration)
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/027311779090174X (corroboration)