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On a serious note, the author / editor of this paper in trying to dumb this down for the public wrote a dumb description of what they actually used. To measure the details of density and temperature you don't use "the light curve" as the author incorrectly states which you could measure with a good amateur telescope anyway. The light curve is merely the light transmission through the atmosphere and gives you average data through the part of the atmosphere.

What these telescopes actually use are highly sophisticated spectrometers that can tell you details of the chemical composition of the atmosphere and the degree of ionization at various points in the atmosphere. Spectroscopic line positions and line-widths all contribute to estimates of temperature and density. That is why you need multiple telescopes all operating at the same time. The author could have said something about all of that.