A Novel 'Kiss and Capture' Event Gave Pluto Its Largest Moon, Charon, New Study Suggests
The “demoted” dwarf planet Pluto and its largest moon Charon make an unusual pair, and for decades, scientists have been discussing how the binary system—in which each mutually orbits the other—came to be.
How did Pluto’s large moon Charon form? With a ‘kiss,’ scientists say
Pluto likely acquired large moon Charon in a “kiss and capture” collision billions of years ago. It may have created a subsurface ocean on the icy dwarf planet.
Pluto’s Weirdly Big Moon May Have Come From A ‘Kiss And Capture’
Pluto's big moon Charon may have a different origin story than scientists suspected. New research suggests the two bodies engaged in a celestial kiss and tango.
How Pluto captured its largest moon Charon with a 10-hour icy 'kiss'
"We were definitely surprised by the 'kiss' part of kiss-and-capture. There hasn't really been a kind of impact before where the two bodies only temporarily merge before re-separating!"
Pluto may have captured its moon Charon with a brief kiss
Simulations suggest Pluto and its largest moon may have gently stuck together for a few hours before Charon settled into a stable orbit around the dwarf planet
Pluto May Have Captured Its Biggest Moon After an Ancient Dance and Kiss
Charon is large in size relative to Pluto, and is locked in a tight orbit with the dwarf planet. A new simulation suggests how it ended up there.
Pluto and Charon formed through a 'kiss and capture' collision
New study reveals Pluto and Charon’s origin: a unique "kiss and capture" collision redefines how binary systems form.
Sealed With a Kiss: The Unexpected Origin Story of Pluto and Its Moon Charon
Pluto and Charon may have formed through a “kiss and capture” mechanism, with the two icy bodies colliding and becoming temporarily stuck together, spinning in a cosmic dance before separating into two objects that are forever bound in orbit,
Newly discovered 'kiss and capture' mechanism explains the formation of Pluto and its largest moon
Billions of years ago, in the frigid outer reaches of our solar system, two icy worlds collided. Rather than destroying each other in a cosmic catastrophe, they spun together like a celestial snowman,
The story behind Pluto's huge moon bodes well for distant ocean worlds
This composite image of Pluto, right, and Charon, its largest moon, showcases photos captured by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft in July 2015. Credit: NASA / JHUAPL / SwRI Unlike how scientists ...
January's Full Moon Will Have Everyone in Their Feelings — But These 4 Zodiac Signs Will Be an Emotional Wreck
Here's what this month's full moon, nicknamed the Wolf Moon, means for your zodiac sign when it peaks on Jan. 13, 2025.
Scientists stunned after learning Pluto and its biggest moon collided billions of years ago: ‘Raises a lot of interesting questions’
They needed some space. New research suggests Pluto may have had a “kiss” with its largest moon billions of years ago in a ...