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

As the gatekeepers to the Kuiper Belt, Charon and Pluto are a unique double dwarf planet system. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it ...

One of Pluto's most unusual aspects is its huge moon Charon, which is roughly 12 percent as massive as Pluto. That might not seem like a lot, but for comparison, our Moon - which is also ...

"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!" ...

How did Pluto and its largest moon, Charon, form? This is what a recent study published in Nature Geoscience hopes to address as an international team of researchers led by the University of Arizona ...

For comparison, our moon is just a quarter of ... A screenshot shows the Pluto/Charon system during its linked “snowman” phase. During a standard "collision capture," a massive collision ...

While Charon is currently listed as a satellite or moon by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), consideration is being given to it perhaps being classified as a dwarf planet in its own right, ...

It might also have resulted in the formation of Pluto’s four other known moons — Nix, Styx, Kerberos and Hydra — which are tiny compared with Charon and were glimpsed when NASA’s New ...

"In comparison, Mars has two tiny moons that ... Robin Canup performed simulations that first demonstrated that the Pluto-Charon pair could have originated with a giant collision.

Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. For decades ...

For comparison, our moon is just a quarter of ... "I'd really like to determine how the initial Pluto-Charon impact can influence whether and how Pluto and Charon develop oceans." ...