Atmosphere of WASP-43 b

Temperature map and H2O distribution in the atmosphere.

NASA Release
http://www.nasa.gov/press/2014/october/nasas-hubble-maps-the-temperature-and-water-vapor-on-an-extreme-exoplanet/

Paper. Thermal structure of an exoplanet atmosphere from phase-resolved emission spectroscopy.
http://hubblesite.org/pubinfo/pdf/2014/28/pdf1.pdf

Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQZqAVhUk9E&feature=youtu.be

Papers now on arXiv.

The Atmospheric Circulation of the Hot Jupiter WASP-43b: Comparing Three-Dimensional Models to Spectrophotometric Data
http://arxiv.org/abs/1410.2382

A Precise Water Abundance Measurement for the Hot Jupiter WASP-43b
http://arxiv.org/abs/1410.2255

Thermal structure of an exoplanet atmosphere from phase-resolved emission spectroscopy
http://arxiv.org/abs/1410.2241

Spitzer Phase Curve Constraints for WASP-43b at 3.6 and 4.5 microns
http://arxiv.org/abs/1608.00056

Quote :

Previous measurements of heat redistribution efficiency (the ability to transport energy from a planet's highly-irradiated dayside to its eternally-dark nightside) show considerable variation between exoplanets. Theoretical models predict a correlation between heat redistribution efficiency and temperature for tidally-locked planets; however, recent Hubble Space Telescope (HST) WASP-43b spectroscopic phase curve results are inconsistent with current predictions. Using the Spitzer Space Telescope, we obtained a total of three phase curve observations of WASP-43b at 3.6 and 4.5 microns. The first 3.6 micron visit exhibits spurious nightside emission that requires invoking unphysical conditions in our atmospheric retrievals. The two other visits exhibit strong day-night contrasts that are consistent with the HST data. To reconcile the departure from theoretical predictions, WASP-43b would need to have a high-altitude, nightside cloud/haze layer blocking its thermal emission. Clouds/hazes could be produced within the planet's cool, nearly-retrograde mid-latitude flows before dispersing across its nightside at high altitudes. Since mid-latitude flows only materialize in fast-rotating (≲1 day) planets, this may explain an observed trend connecting measured day-night contrast with planet rotation rate that matches all current Spitzer phase curve results. Combining independent planetary emission measurements from multiple phases, we obtain a precise dayside hemisphere H2O abundance (2.5×10−5−1.1×10−4 at 1σ confidence) and, assuming chemical equilibrium and a scaled solar abundance pattern, we derive a corresponding metallicity estimate that is consistent with being solar (0.4 -- 1.7). Using the retrieved global CO+CO2 abundance under the same assumptions, we estimate a comparable metallicity of 0.3 - 1.7× solar. (Abridged)

They suggest that the anomalous 3.6µm phase curve could be caused by a hole in the cloud deck but would want more data to search for variability.