http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2007-09/ssc2007-09a.shtml a thermal image map of a exo planet I wonder if they know the temprature to this degree and have a good gues on the wind speeds. If they could make some sort of artistic renderings on how the top layer actually looks like. considering they also now it's size and average albedo
I know we've got a ways to go with the technology, but I can't wait till they start mapping earth-sized planets. It'd funny thinking that my kids in the future might be learning the names of extra-solar continents in their science classes. Who knows, right?
It's so amazing how far we've come since I was a kid. I mean, I'm only 26! And we're already thermal mapping extrasolar planets!
These aren't maps, rather they are accurate simulations Here is another one; Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! from this paper about the tidally locked planet HD209458b http://www.citebase.org/fulltext?format=application/pdf&identifier=oai:arXiv.org:astro-ph/0209227 The smear of heat transferred into the dark side caues very assymetric circulation patterns.
Bear in mind that we have no idea how accurate. All we know about these transiting exoplanets are minimum mass, orbital characteristics and hence mean surface temperature - plus a rough estimate of its size based on the amount of dimming it causes, which gives an even rougher idea of its density.
