Simple models can provide insights into the physics behind the thermal profile of an atmosphere without being obscured by the too many details of more accurate numerical models that sometimes can approach the complexities of real atmospheres. We present an analytical one-dimensional radiative–convective model of the thermal structure of planetary atmospheres. Our model assumes that thermal radiative transfer is gray and can be represented by the two-stream approximation. This model technique is quicker, more frugal, and, to some extent, more accurate than more complex methods.