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"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!" ...

One idea is that Pluto got its moon system when a massive object smashed into the dwarf planet. The resulting debris then formed into the moons. This hypothesis was nicknamed the “Big Whack.” ...

Scientists have discovered a new type of planetary collision called “kiss-and-capture,” where Pluto and proto-Charon briefly ...

This composite image of Pluto, right, and Charon, its largest moon, showcases photos captured by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft in July 2015. Credit: NASA / JHUAPL / SwRI Unlike how scientists ...

Pluto, considered the ninth planet in our solar system until it was reclassified to dwarf planet status in 2006, is thought to have undergone an impact that broke off the largest of its five moons ...

Pluto in Aquarius 2025: read on to learn more about what the planet of death in the sign of the water bearer has in store for the collective this year. artefacti - stock.adobe.com Let’s talk ...

"Something big hits Pluto, and you get Charon, but like with the Earth-moon system, we don't fully know how that works and the conditions under which that occurs," Denton said. "It's a pretty big ...