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 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.
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’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.
Pluto May Have Won Its Moon Charon with a ‘Kiss’
Pluto and its largest moon Charon could have come together via a 10-hour ‘kiss-and-capture’ encounter after a grazing collision
'Kiss and capture': Scientists propose new explanation for Charon, Pluto's largest moon
Unlike Earth, where the Moon orbits the planet, Pluto and Charon orbit each other, forming a binary system that is more similar to the Earth-moon system than any other moon in the solar system.
On This Day: Scientists discover dwarf planet Eris
Eris was discovered. It was considered the largest known dwarf planet in the solar system until a year later when Pluto was ...
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 ...
Astronomy on MSN2d
Does Planet Nine exist?
The newcomer replacing Pluto presently goes by “Planet Nine.” If and when it finally shows up, it will get the honor of a ...
Discover the wonders of our solar system and the fascinating Milky Way Galaxy
Learn about the size, temperature, and colour of each planet, and discover why Pluto is no longer considered a planet.
New study suggests a completely different origin for Pluto’s largest moon
A new study suggests that the origin of Pluto's largest moon was quite different than our own. Here's what you need to know.
Could habitable planets orbiting white dwarfs retain their oceans? Maybe
Potentially habitable exoplanets are so incredibly common that astronomers have started to consider more unusual situations ...