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.

NASA's Galileo mission launched in 1989 and was operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.

February stargazing is so special. Sure it’s cold but the extra special celestial jewels make it worth bundling up for. If you’re not already in the darker countryside, try to get out there. But

"What makes the event even more extraordinary is that it did not involve a single volcano, but multiple active sources."

Research into Jupiter’s moons shows Io and Europa did not evolve apart but formed with opposite compositions from the beginning.

There’s no mistaking Jupiter in the sky these Butler winter evenings, rising in the southeast as evening twilight ends. In fact, you should be able to easily see it long before twilight fades.

"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."

While Io, the most volcanically active moon in the solar system, appears completely dry and devoid of water ice, its neighbor Europa is thought to harbor a vast global ocean of liquid water beneath its icy crust.

On Feb. 1, the Snow Moon will rise alongside some of winter's brightest stars after drifting past Jupiter