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 of a rare small, cold exoplanet with a massive outer companion 100 times the mass of Jupiter.

An international team of astronomers have been able to probe the atmosphere of an exoplanet like never before. Exoplanet Tylos, also known as WASP 121-b, is an ultra-hot Jupiter – a gas giant so close to its stars that one year lasts only 30 hours.

Astronomers have peered through the atmosphere of a planet beyond the solar system, mapping its 3D structure for the first time. By combining all four telescope units of the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (ESO's VLT),