The formation of Pluto and its moon Charon remains poorly understood. Charon may have been captured following a giant impact, similar to the Earth’s Moon, a process which likely fundamentally altered both Pluto and Charon’s subsequent geologic evolu
       
     
Our giant impact simulations suggest that Pluto and Charon collided and briefly merged, before separating to become the two bodies we recognize today, and process which heats and deforms both bodies. Relevant abstracts can be found here and here
       
     
Understanding the formation of Pluto and Charon has ramifications for many other objects in the Kuiper Belt that also happen to have large mass-fraction satellites, such as Eris and Dysnomia, Haumea and Hi’iaka/Namaka (pictured), Orcus and Vanth, an
       
     
The formation of Pluto and its moon Charon remains poorly understood. Charon may have been captured following a giant impact, similar to the Earth’s Moon, a process which likely fundamentally altered both Pluto and Charon’s subsequent geologic evolu
       
     
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The formation of Pluto and its moon Charon remains poorly understood. Charon may have been captured following a giant impact, similar to the Earth’s Moon, a process which likely fundamentally altered both Pluto and Charon’s subsequent geologic evolution. Image via NASA.

Our giant impact simulations suggest that Pluto and Charon collided and briefly merged, before separating to become the two bodies we recognize today, and process which heats and deforms both bodies. Relevant abstracts can be found here and here
       
     
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Our giant impact simulations suggest that Pluto and Charon collided and briefly merged, before separating to become the two bodies we recognize today, and process which heats and deforms both bodies. Relevant abstracts can be found here and here.

Understanding the formation of Pluto and Charon has ramifications for many other objects in the Kuiper Belt that also happen to have large mass-fraction satellites, such as Eris and Dysnomia, Haumea and Hi’iaka/Namaka (pictured), Orcus and Vanth, an
       
     
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Understanding the formation of Pluto and Charon has ramifications for many other objects in the Kuiper Belt that also happen to have large mass-fraction satellites, such as Eris and Dysnomia, Haumea and Hi’iaka/Namaka (pictured), Orcus and Vanth, and many others. Image via Hubble Space Telescope.