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Astronomers have for decades tried to figure out how Pluto captured its largest moon. Now, there’s a new theory
Pluto likely acquired large moon Charon in a “kiss and capture” collision billions of years ago. It may have created a subsurface ocean on the icy dwarf planet.
Salon1mon
"Kiss and capture": New theory explains how Pluto captured its biggest moon
Because Charon is just over half the size of Pluto, the two bodies then began orbiting each other in a cosmic dance in the Kuiper Belt beyond Neptune’s orbit. However, a recent study in Nature ...
Live Science24d
How Pluto captured its largest moon Charon with a 10-hour icy 'kiss'
It could also help scientists better investigate the structural strength of frigid, icy worlds in the Kuiper Belt. "We've found that if we assume that Pluto and Charon are bodies with material ...
Florida Today20d
On this date: New Horizons probe launches for Pluto and beyond
On this date, Jan. 19, 2006, the first probe ever destined to visit Pluto, its moons and other Kuiper belt objects launched from Launch Complex 41 at what is now Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Space.com19d
Charon: Pluto's dwarf planet partner
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 ...
CNN29d
Astronomers have for decades tried to figure out how Pluto captured its largest moon. Now, there’s a new theory
Pluto belongs to a group of objects that distantly orbit the sun called the Kuiper Belt, where thousands of icy remnants left over from the formation of the solar system linger. Eight of the 10 ...