Eyeball planet of fire and ice, illustration. Some exoplanets orbit near enough to their star that their rotation is tidally locked, that is, they keep one side always facing the star. If the planet is near enough to its star, one side will be roasting hot, the other frozen. Weather patterns would stream from a hot spot on the starward side toward the cold side. The visual effect of this has caused these to be called 'eyeball planets.'