A recent study from the University of Arizona has rewritten the origin story of Pluto and its largest moon Charon, revealing a unique “kiss and capture” collision that defies traditional scientific theories. The researchers, led by NASA postdoctoral fellow Adeene Denton, propose a novel type of cosmic collision where two icy worlds briefly fuse before separating in orbit.
Billions of years ago, Pluto and Charon collided in the outer solar system. Instead of being destroyed, they merged into a single, spinning object that eventually separated. This dramatic encounter explains how Pluto and Charon formed according to the new study.
The researchers found that accounting for the structural strength of icy worlds sheds light on how planetary bodies form and evolve. They identified a previously overlooked factor that challenged traditional theories about Pluto’s moon formation.
“Pluto and Charon are different – they’re smaller, colder, and made primarily of rock and ice,” Denton said. “When we accounted for their actual strength, we discovered something completely unexpected.”
Using advanced impact simulations, the team found that the bodies became temporarily stuck together during the collision, rotating as a single object before separating into the binary system we observe today.
This discovery has significant implications for understanding planetary formation and evolution. The study suggests that Pluto and Charon remained largely intact during their collision, with much of their original composition preserved. The process also deposited considerable internal heat into both bodies, which may provide a mechanism for Pluto to develop a subsurface ocean without requiring early solar system conditions.
The research team plans follow-up studies to explore how tidal forces influenced Pluto and Charon’s early evolution, analyze the alignment of this formation scenario with Pluto’s current geological features, and examine whether similar processes could explain the formation of other binary systems.
Source: https://scitechdaily.com/kiss-and-capture-the-icy-collision-that-bound-pluto-and-charon-forever