Newly discovered 'kiss and capture' mechanism explains the formation of Pluto and its largest moon

Billions of years ago, in the frigid outer reaches of our solar system, two icy worlds collided. Rather than destroying each other in a cosmic catastrophe, they spun together like a celestial snowman, finally separating while remaining forever linked in orbit. This is how Pluto and its largest moon, Charon, originated, according to a University of Arizona study that challenges decades of scientific assumptions.