How might a giant collision have formed Pluto and its moons?

Current scientific understanding suggests that Pluto and its moon Charon formed as independent bodies within the solar nebula. Rather than Pluto being a former moon of Neptune, it is now believed that a giant collision between Pluto and a proto-Charon occurred approximately 4.6 billion years ago.1

This impact likely ejected a ring of debris around Pluto, which subsequently accreted through gravitational attraction to form Charon. This process is similar to the widely accepted model for the formation of Earth's Moon. Astronomers further argue that Pluto’s four smaller moons also originated from this same collision, as the material in the debris ring accreted into these bodies as well. This scenario explains the relatively high densities of both Pluto and Charon, as well as the absence of methane on Charon, which likely resulted from the high-temperature conditions of the impact.1