Researchers accounted for the previously overlooked structures of the dwarf planet and moon in computer simulations of a celestial collision

Pluto and its largest moon Charon could have come together via a 10-hour “kiss-and-capture” encounter after a grazing collision

Scientists propose Pluto and its moon Charon formed through a "kiss and capture" event 4.5 billion years ago, challenging previous theories about their unique size ratio and orbital relationship.

Using simulations that took into account parameters like the size and composition of the bodies, along with the strength at which they collided, researchers reported that in the early stages of formation Charon and Pluto came together and orbited as one,

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.