• Education
    • Higher Education
    • Scholarships & Grants
    • Online Learning
    • School Reforms
    • Research & Innovation
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Fashion & Beauty
    • Home & Living
    • Relationships & Family
  • Technology & Startups
    • Software & Apps
    • Startup Success Stories
    • Startups & Innovations
    • Tech Regulations
    • Venture Capital
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cybersecurity
    • Emerging Technologies
    • Gadgets & Devices
    • Industry Analysis
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy
Today Headline
  • Home
  • World News
    • Us & Canada
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Middle East
  • Politics
    • Elections
    • Political Parties
    • Government Policies
    • International Relations
    • Legislative News
  • Business & Finance
    • Market Trends
    • Stock Market
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Corporate News
    • Economic Policies
  • Science & Environment
    • Space Exploration
    • Climate Change
    • Wildlife & Conservation
    • Environmental Policies
    • Medical Research
  • Health
    • Public Health
    • Mental Health
    • Medical Breakthroughs
    • Fitness & Nutrition
    • Pandemic Updates
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Tennis
    • Olympics
    • Motorsport
  • Entertainment
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV & Streaming
    • Celebrity News
    • Awards & Festivals
  • Crime & Justice
    • Court Cases
    • Cybercrime
    • Policing
    • Criminal Investigations
    • Legal Reforms
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • World News
    • Us & Canada
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Middle East
  • Politics
    • Elections
    • Political Parties
    • Government Policies
    • International Relations
    • Legislative News
  • Business & Finance
    • Market Trends
    • Stock Market
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Corporate News
    • Economic Policies
  • Science & Environment
    • Space Exploration
    • Climate Change
    • Wildlife & Conservation
    • Environmental Policies
    • Medical Research
  • Health
    • Public Health
    • Mental Health
    • Medical Breakthroughs
    • Fitness & Nutrition
    • Pandemic Updates
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Tennis
    • Olympics
    • Motorsport
  • Entertainment
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV & Streaming
    • Celebrity News
    • Awards & Festivals
  • Crime & Justice
    • Court Cases
    • Cybercrime
    • Policing
    • Criminal Investigations
    • Legal Reforms
No Result
View All Result
Today Headline
No Result
View All Result
Home Science & Environment

Pluto may have captured its moon Charon with a brief kiss todayheadline

January 6, 2025
in Science & Environment
Reading Time: 2 mins read
A A
0
Pluto may have captured its moon Charon with a brief kiss
2
SHARES
5
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


Pluto (right) and its moon Charon, photographed by NASA’s New Horizons probe in 2015

NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

Pluto and its moon Charon may have been briefly locked together in a cosmic “kiss”, before the dwarf planet released the smaller body and recaptured it in its orbit.

Charon is the largest of Pluto’s five moons, with a radius more than half that of Pluto itself, but the question of how it came to orbit Pluto has puzzled astronomers.

One prominent theory suggests that Charon formed after a vast object smashed into Pluto, spewing debris into space that later formed Charon, similar to how scientists think Earth’s moon formed. But Charon’s large size and close orbit, at eight times wider than Pluto itself, make this a challenging scenario to explain.

Now, Adeene Denton at the University of Arizona and her colleagues have proposed that Charon may have a less destructive origin story, which they describe as a “kiss and capture”.

Previous simulations have treated Pluto and Charon as fluids – an assumption that works when modelling collisions between larger bodies. But recent research has shown that with objects of lighter mass than Earth’s moon, the material strength of their composition influences the outcome. “Pluto and Charon are quite small, so the assumption that they are fluid bodies probably no longer applies,” says Denton.

The researchers ran simulations that take into account Pluto and Charon’s compositions of rock and ice, and found that a more likely scenario involved a gentle sticking together and parting ways.

Their model showed that a proto-Charon may have penetrated a proto-Pluto’s icy shell and the two bodies would have spun together rapidly for around 10 hours. Eventually, the spinning flung Charon back out and it settled into Pluto’s orbit.

“I had always assumed that any collision between planetary bodies that were hundreds of kilometres across would destroy the smaller one, if captured,” says David Rothery at the Open University, UK.

While the kiss-and-capture scenario is interesting, says Rothery, it will need to also explain the complex geological features seen on both Pluto and Charon, such as heavily cratered surfaces and icy volcanism, which it doesn’t currently.

Topics:

Tags: Pluto
Previous Post

Where is the solar system heading?

Next Post

It’s Taking Longer for Unemployed Americans to Find Work todayheadline

Related Posts

Skin wrinkle diagram

Scientists Finally Explain Why Your Skin Wrinkles As You Age : ScienceAlert todayheadline

August 8, 2025
5
A color photo from the Martian surface shows a landscape of sandy, rocky terrain. What looks like a pair of light orange-brown sand dunes rise in the background. Four or five large, sharp-edged rocks are strewn among the sand on the left side of the image. But a clear vertical dividing line extends from the center of the image to the right side, where the sand is covered by similar rocks of all sizes. A pale yellow sky is visible above the scene.

Linking Local Lithologies to a Larger Landscape

August 8, 2025
5
Next Post

It's Taking Longer for Unemployed Americans to Find Work todayheadline

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Family calls for change after B.C. nurse dies by suicide after attacks on the job

Family calls for change after B.C. nurse dies by suicide after attacks on the job

April 2, 2025
Pioneering 3D printing project shares successes

Product reduces TPH levels to non-hazardous status

November 27, 2024

Police ID man who died after Corso Italia fight

December 23, 2024

Hospital Mergers Fail to Deliver Better Care or Lower Costs, Study Finds todayheadline

December 31, 2024
Harris tells supporters 'never give up' and urges peaceful transfer of power

Harris tells supporters ‘never give up’ and urges peaceful transfer of power

0
Des Moines Man Accused Of Shooting Ex-Girlfriend's Mother

Des Moines Man Accused Of Shooting Ex-Girlfriend’s Mother

0

Trump ‘looks forward’ to White House meeting with Biden

0
Catholic voters were critical to Donald Trump’s blowout victory: ‘Harris snubbed us’

Catholic voters were critical to Donald Trump’s blowout victory: ‘Harris snubbed us’

0

Victoria Mboko tops Naomi Osaka in Montreal for 1st WTA title todayheadline

August 8, 2025
Uber shares hits pothole ahead of Tesla Robotaxi debut

Analysts reboot Uber's stock price target after earnings todayheadline

August 8, 2025
Trump signs executive order targeting spending on grants

Trump signs executive order targeting spending on grants todayheadline

August 8, 2025
Skin wrinkle diagram

Scientists Finally Explain Why Your Skin Wrinkles As You Age : ScienceAlert todayheadline

August 8, 2025

Recent News

Victoria Mboko tops Naomi Osaka in Montreal for 1st WTA title todayheadline

August 8, 2025
6
Uber shares hits pothole ahead of Tesla Robotaxi debut

Analysts reboot Uber's stock price target after earnings todayheadline

August 8, 2025
7
Trump signs executive order targeting spending on grants

Trump signs executive order targeting spending on grants todayheadline

August 8, 2025
8
Skin wrinkle diagram

Scientists Finally Explain Why Your Skin Wrinkles As You Age : ScienceAlert todayheadline

August 8, 2025
5

TodayHeadline is a dynamic news website dedicated to delivering up-to-date and comprehensive news coverage from around the globe.

Follow Us

Browse by Category

  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Basketball
  • Business & Finance
  • Climate Change
  • Crime & Justice
  • Cybersecurity
  • Economic Policies
  • Elections
  • Entertainment
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Environmental Policies
  • Europe
  • Football
  • Gadgets & Devices
  • Health
  • Medical Research
  • Mental Health
  • Middle East
  • Motorsport
  • Olympics
  • Politics
  • Public Health
  • Relationships & Family
  • Science & Environment
  • Software & Apps
  • Space Exploration
  • Sports
  • Stock Market
  • Technology & Startups
  • Tennis
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • Us & Canada
  • Wildlife & Conservation
  • World News

Recent News

Victoria Mboko tops Naomi Osaka in Montreal for 1st WTA title todayheadline

August 8, 2025
Uber shares hits pothole ahead of Tesla Robotaxi debut

Analysts reboot Uber's stock price target after earnings todayheadline

August 8, 2025
  • Education
  • Lifestyle
  • Technology & Startups
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy

© 2024 Todayheadline.co

Welcome Back!

OR

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Business & Finance
  • Corporate News
  • Economic Policies
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Market Trends
  • Crime & Justice
  • Court Cases
  • Criminal Investigations
  • Cybercrime
  • Legal Reforms
  • Policing
  • Education
  • Higher Education
  • Online Learning
  • Entertainment
  • Awards & Festivals
  • Celebrity News
  • Movies
  • Music
  • Health
  • Fitness & Nutrition
  • Medical Breakthroughs
  • Mental Health
  • Pandemic Updates
  • Lifestyle
  • Fashion & Beauty
  • Food & Drink
  • Home & Living
  • Politics
  • Elections
  • Government Policies
  • International Relations
  • Legislative News
  • Political Parties
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Middle East
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Cybersecurity
  • Emerging Technologies
  • Gadgets & Devices
  • Industry Analysis
  • Basketball
  • Football
  • Motorsport
  • Olympics
  • Climate Change
  • Environmental Policies
  • Medical Research
  • Science & Environment
  • Space Exploration
  • Wildlife & Conservation
  • Sports
  • Tennis
  • Technology & Startups
  • Software & Apps
  • Startup Success Stories
  • Startups & Innovations
  • Tech Regulations
  • Venture Capital
  • Uncategorized
  • World News
  • Us & Canada
  • Public Health
  • Relationships & Family
  • Travel
  • Research & Innovation
  • Scholarships & Grants
  • School Reforms
  • Stock Market
  • TV & Streaming
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy
  • About us
  • Contact

© 2024 Todayheadline.co