The atmosphere of an exoplanet reveals secrets about its surface

As astronomers have begun to gather data on the atmospheres of planets, we're learning about their compositions and evolution. Thick atmospheres are the easiest to study, but these same thick atmospheres can hide the surface of a planet from view. A Venus-like world, for example, has such a thick atmosphere making it impossible to see the planet's terrain. It seems the more likely we are to understand a planet's atmosphere, the less likely we are to understand its surface. But that could change thanks to a new study accepted for publication in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astrophysical Society and available on the arXiv preprint server.