Last year, astronomers discovered an unusual Earth-size exoplanet they believe has a hemisphere of molten lava, with its other hemisphere tidally locked in perpetual darkness. And at about the same time, a different group discovered a rare small, cold exoplanet with a massive outer companion 100 times the mass of Jupiter.

Astronomers have achieved a breakthrough in planetary science, revealing the complex weather of a distant gas giant with unprecedented detail. By mapping the three-dimensional structure of the planet’s atmosphere,

Astronomers have discovered by looking through an exoplanet's atmosphere and mapping its 3D structure for the first time

Astronomers for the first time have deciphered the three-dimensional structure of the atmosphere of a planet beyond our solar system, revealing three layers like a wedding cake on a ferociously hot gas planet that orbits close to a star bigger and hotter than our sun.

For the first time, scientists have developed a 3D map of an atmosphere belonging to a planet outside our solar system. Attached to a particularly mysterious alien world, the newly charted atmosphere challenges astronomers' understanding of how weather works on other planets.