Global gas temperature, T_gas (K), distribution on HAT-P-7b. Top left: 1D structures as function of p_gas (bar) of the probed 97 profiles (red – dayside (ϕ = 60^deg … 0^deg… 300^deg)), blue – nightside (ϕ = 120^deg … 240^deg), orange – evening terminator (ϕ = 90^deg), light blue – morning terminator (ϕ = 270^deg), black dashed– substellar point (ϕ = 0^deg), black dot-dashed – antistellar point (ϕ = 180^deg). The dotted black line represents a dayside-average profile (using an average weighted by the projected area that is observed in secondary eclipse). Top right: global 2D maps at p_gas = 10⁻³ bar. The 2D temperature maps visualise the strong day-night differences and also the somewhat inhomogeneous nightside ((θ, ϕ) = (±22.5^deg, 165^deg), (±22.5^deg, 180^deg)). These local temperature minima (ΔT_gas ≈ 200 K to surrounding) will have an effect on our subsequent analysis results. Bottom left: 2D cut through the equatorial plane. Bottom right: 2D cut along the terminator. The dashed green lines indicate where these two slice plots overlap. For the viewing geometry of the slice plots in the bottom row, please see Figs. 3, A.2.