Pluto, Charon

Astronomers have for decades tried to figure out how Pluto captured its largest moon. Now, there’s a new theory
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 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,
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 May Have Formed From the Newly Discovered Kiss and Capture Mechanism
Learn more about how this new mechanism may have shaped Pluto and its largest moon, Charon.
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,
“Kiss and Capture:” The Icy Collision That Bound Pluto and Charon Forever
Pluto and Charon's origin story has been rewritten by a recent study, revealing they formed from a unique "kiss and capture" collision that defies traditional scientific theories. This discovery, emphasizing the structural integrity of icy worlds,
Pluto-Charon formation scenario mimics Earth-Moon system
A researcher has used advanced models that indicate that the formation of Pluto and Charon may parallel that of the Earth-Moon system. Both systems include a moon that is a large fraction of the size of the main body,
"Kiss and capture": New theory explains how Pluto captured its biggest moon
“Because Pluto is rotating rapidly prior to the collision, and because Charon lies mostly outside of their corotation zone, it is able to ‘push’ Charon off, and Charon starts to slowly migrate out,” first author Dr. Adeene Denton, a planetary scientist from the University of Arizona, told The Guardian.
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.
The story behind Pluto's huge moon bodes well for distant ocean worlds
Since New Horizons' close encounter with Pluto 10 years ago, experts have come to think of the dwarf planet as much more ...
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Planetary science discovery explains Pluto's formation
Billions of years ago, in the icy outskirts of the solar system, a dramatic collision forged the unusual pairing of Pluto and ...