Credit NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute
Astronomers have for decades tried to figure out how Pluto captured its largest moon. Now, there’s a new theory
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/01/10/science/pluto-charon-kiss-capture-collision/index.html
Pluto’s relationship with its largest moon, Charon, has puzzled scientists for decades. Now, a new study reveals that the two icy bodies may have collided in a rare “kiss and capture” scenario billions of years ago. Unlike Earth’s moon, which formed from debris after a massive impact, Charon and Pluto likely stuck together briefly, spinning as one before separating into the binary system we see today. This discovery sheds light on planetary collisions and suggests that Pluto may harbor a subsurface ocean formed during the impact.