So how did Pluto get its chonky companion? A new study suggests an unusual mechanism called “kiss and capture.” The “kiss and capture” concept for Charon’s formation detours from ...

"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!" New ...

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 ...