New research from the University of Arizona (U of A) claims that Pluto may not have been created with a bang, but with a kiss.
The study, published in Nature Geoscience, looks at how Pluto and its moon, Charon, originated after colliding. Instead of destroying each other, the two celestial bodies began to spiral together like a cosmic snowman before separating into two bodies again. What’s unique about the separation is that Pluto and Charon still share the same orbit.
This new discovery is helping researchers better understand how planets form and evolve, especially icy worlds. The research team refers to this new form of cosmic collision as a "kiss and capture."
