Smithsonian Magazine on MSN5d
A Novel ‘Kiss and Capture’ Event Gave Pluto Its Largest Moon, Charon, New Study Suggests
Researchers accounted for the previously overlooked structures of the dwarf planet and moon in computer simulations of a ...
"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, ...
Space on MSN6d
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 ...
“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" ...
earth3d
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.
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 ...
Pluto's 'kiss and capture' of its largest moon Charon 4.5 billion years ago could change how we teach about moons and planetary systems in US schools
A new theory about Pluto’s largest moon, Charon, could alter how planetary systems are taught in U.S. schools. Scientists ...
'A cosmic dance': How Pluto's ‘kiss and capture’ gave birth to its largest moon Charon
A new study proposes a 'kiss and capture' collision theory to explain the origins of Charon, Pluto's largest moon, shedding ...
Salon5d
"Kiss and capture": New theory explains how Pluto captured its biggest moon
They call this cosmic dance a “kiss and capture” event, which could indicate Charon and Pluto are roughly the same age. “Because Pluto is rotating rapidly prior to the collision, and because ...