Jupiter’s moon Europa has an ice shell about 18 miles thick — and that could be bad news for alien life

Using data gathered by NASA’s Juno Jupiter orbiter, scientists estimate that Europa’s ice shell is about 18 miles thick — which could make it hard for nutrients to get down to its buried ocean.

Sinking ice on Jupiter’s moon Europa may be slowly feeding its ocean the ingredients for life

“Most excitingly, this new idea addresses one of the longstanding habitability problems on Europa and is a good sign for the prospects of extraterrestrial life in its ocean.”

Jupiter has more oxygen than the sun, new simulations reveal

Jupiter harbors more oxygen than the sun, a new study finds, giving astronomers a crucial clue about how our solar system’s planets formed.

NASA’s first skywatching tips of 2026 include a very bright planet

For skywatchers, 2026 kicks off with a great chance to view Jupiter at its biggest and brightest, according to NASA’s latest set of tips on what to look out for in the night sky over the coming month. But there’s more than just Jupiter to enjoy, so rea…