Overview

• The 'kiss and capture' theory suggests Pluto and Charon collided, stuck together temporarily, and then separated while remaining gravitationally bound.
• This new model challenges earlier theories that assumed a more destructive, fluid-like collision similar to Earth's moon formation.
• Advanced simulations accounted for Pluto and Charon's rocky and icy compositions, revealing their structural integrity preserved them during the impact.
• The collision likely generated heat, potentially facilitating the formation of a subsurface ocean beneath Pluto's icy crust.
• The findings could have broader implications for understanding moon formation in other Kuiper Belt objects and distant celestial systems.