We present the effects that inhomogeneities have on radiating atmospheres. It is shown that nonuniformities in a medium induce a reduction of the effective opacity which subsequently increases the Eddington Luminosity. The most striking effect however that arises from the dependence of the opacity on the inhomogeneities, is the possibility of a phase transition, where the atmosphere energetically favors exciting horizontally propagating waves due to large fluxes.