A recent study from the University of Arizona has challenged long-held assumptions about how Pluto and its moon Charon formed. Led by NASA postdoctoral fellow Adeene Denton, a team of researchers revealed that the structural strength of rock and ice in small, cold worlds like Pluto and Charon played a crucial role in their formation.
Unlike previous theories that suggested Charon formed through a massive collision with Pluto, the new model proposes that the two bodies temporarily stuck together after colliding. This “kiss and capture” process, which differs significantly from traditional models of moon formation, placed Charon in a stable orbit around Pluto perfectly matching observations.
The study also found that Pluto and Charon remained mostly intact during their collision, preserving their original composition. The collision generated tidal forces that deposited significant heat into both bodies, potentially enabling Pluto to develop a subsurface ocean without requiring early solar system conditions.
This new discovery paves the way for further research into Pluto and Charon’s formation and evolution. The team plans to study how tidal forces affected their early development, exploring whether similar “kiss and capture” processes could explain the creation of other binary systems in the universe. Understanding how this impact shaped Pluto’s geology could reveal more about its surface and internal structure.
The findings challenge older theories about how planetary systems form and introduce a new way to think about collisions in space. By exploring this idea further, scientists hope to uncover more about the processes that shape planets, moons, and other celestial bodies, offering fresh insights into the mysteries of our solar system and beyond.
Source: https://www.earth.com/news/pluto-and-charon-formed-through-a-kiss-and-capture-collision