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cover of episode Kiss-and-capture: The dance of Pluto and Charon

Kiss-and-capture: The dance of Pluto and Charon

2025/2/5
logo of podcast Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and Science

Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and Science
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A
Adeene Denton
S
Sarah Al-Ahmed
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Adeene Denton: 我认为冥王星和卡戎系统非常独特,类似于地球-月球系统,但也有显著差异。早期的研究认为,卡戎是由一次巨大的撞击形成的,就像月球一样。然而,冥王星和卡戎的组成成分和大小与地球-月球系统不同,这促使我们重新审视这一理论。我们使用强度模型模拟了冥王星和卡戎的碰撞,发现了一种新的情景,我们称之为“亲吻与捕获”。在这个情景中,卡戎以较浅的角度撞击冥王星,两个天体部分合并,然后卡戎慢慢分离,最终进入一个圆形轨道。这种模式解释了卡戎轨道为何是圆形,以及两个天体为何没有经历剧烈的形变。此外,这次撞击可能为冥王星提供了足够的热量,从而形成了地下海洋,并驱动了低温火山活动。我们的研究表明,卡戎可能是一个古老的天体,自太阳系早期就存在,并且通过“亲吻与捕获”的方式被冥王星捕获。这个理论也可能适用于其他柯伊伯带天体,例如奥尔库斯和万斯。

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How did Pluto meet its largest moon, Charon? Many have speculated that Charon formed in an impact, but traditional models of planetary formation have struggled to explain many of the quirks of this system. This week, Adeene Denton, a research scientist at the University of Arizona, shares her team's new paper that suggests a "kiss-and-capture" may solve this mystery. Then Bruce Betts, The Planetary Society's chief scientist, discusses contact binaries in our Solar System and shares a new Random Space Fact in What's Up.

Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2025-pluto-kiss-and-capture)

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