SpaceRef.com has reprinted a press release from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics that I think is very exciting:

For the first time, astronomers have created a rough map of a planet orbiting a distant sun-like star, employing a technique that may one day enable mapping of Earth-like worlds. Since the planet just charted is a gas giant and lacks a solid surface, the map shows cloud-top features. Using the Spitzer infrared space telescope, astronomers detected a bright hot spot that is offset from "high noon," where heating is greatest.

For images and other details:
Extrasolar World