An international team of astronomers has shown for the first time that it is possible to map exoplanets using a technique called 3D eclipse mapping or spectroscopic eclipse mapping. By measuring the emission of specific wavelengths of light on a giant and very hot exoplanet, the team was able to work out the atmospheric variation of this distant world. The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.

The exoplanet in question is called WASP-18b. This is a hot Jupiter , 10 times the mass of our gas giant, but orbiting so close around its star that it does one orbit in just 23 hours. This proximity keeps the planet in a tidal lock, so this massive gaseous world is only showing one side to its star. JWST observations of this world had al

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