Abstract: One of the best constraints on climate models of exoplanets is the time-variability of disk- integrated brightness. At thermal wavelengths, these variations tell us about temperature inhomogeneities on the surface of the planet (hot spots, jet streams, etc.); at reflected wavelengths, they tell us about albedo markings on the planet (clouds, continents, oceans, etc.). I will describe the first successful applications of phase function mapping and eclipse mapping for a hot Jupiter, and will outline the prospects for applying similar techniques to directly imaged exoplanets.

Additional materials: PDF of slides

ExoClimes 2010, Exeter, Thursday 9^th Sep 2010