<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/50000_Quaoar#/media/File:Artist_impression_of_Quaoar_and_its_ring_ESA24681885.jpeg" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Quaoar</a>'s orbit should bring it within about 670,000,000km (~4.48 AU) of Pluto in ~150 years, according to the scale model in Universe Sandbox.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-05-08T14:34:49.600Z
According to Horizons, the next close approach occurs on 2148-Feb-19 (around 17:00 UTC), at a distance of 853643843 km ~= 5.7 AU.
PM 2Ring
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-05-09T20:15:41.300Z
Here's a Horizons query covering that timespan: https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/api/horizons.api?format=text&MAKE_EPHEM=YES&EPHEM_TYPE=V&VEC_LABELS=NO&OBJ_DATA=NO&VEC_TABLE=6&COMMAND=50000&CENTER=%409&START_TIME=%272148-Feb-19+12%3A00%27&STOP_TIME=%272148-Feb-20+0%3A00%27&STEP_SIZE=1h
PM 2Ring
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-05-08T04:27:20.527Z
2023-05-08T04:27:20.527Z
Kazon
<p>Among neighborhood-clearing planets, it is <a href="https://nineplanets.org/plutos-orbit/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">not Neptune but Uranus</a> that comes closest to Pluto. Uranus comes within a minimum of about 11 AU from Pluto. While the ellipses that make up the orbits of Pluto and Neptune come closer than that, the resonant relationship between Pluto and Neptune prevents both objects from occupying the closest approach points at the same time.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-05-08T01:34:05.420Z
2023-05-08T01:34:05.420Z
Oscar Lanzi
<p>Other than Pluto's moons (including Charon), which known body comes closest to Pluto, and how close? Neptune doesn't come closer than 16 au. What about Orcus, whose orbit is similar to Pluto's, or another dwarf planet?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-01-19T14:01:15.307Z
Technically, many, many small Kuiper belt objects enter Pluto's Hill Sphere (or sphere of influence SOI) every day. So those would be the ones closest, but I think you are talking about large, major objects.
WarpPrime
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-01-19T14:27:51.267Z
@fasterthanlight I'm asking "which _known_ body". This may include asteroids like Arrokoth.
Plutos Loyer
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-01-19T14:39:05.963Z
@fasterthanlight fascinating! So I've just asked [How many solar system objects that can really qualify as a KBO are likely to enter Pluto's Hill sphere each day?](https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/q/40948/7982)
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-01-20T04:04:51.967Z
You might want to look at [plutinos](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plutino)
Nilay Ghosh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-01-20T06:29:29.047Z
@NilayGhosh Wikipedia is quite silent on the Pluto MOID of Plutinos. I'd like to know how close to Pluto they can come, which one closest.
Plutos Loyer
<distances><pluto><trans-neptunian-object>
Which celestial body is able to come closest to Pluto?
Plutos Loyer
# Which celestial body is able to come closest to Pluto?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-01-19)

Other than Pluto's moons (including Charon), which known body comes closest to Pluto, and how close? Neptune doesn't come closer than 16 au. What about Orcus, whose orbit is similar to Pluto's, or another dwarf planet?

**Tags:** distances, pluto, trans-neptunian-object
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Technically, many, many small Kuiper belt objects enter Pluto's Hill Sphere (or sphere of influence SOI) every day. So those would be the ones closest, but I think you are talking about large, major objects.  
> **username_0**: @fasterthanlight I'm asking "which _known_ body". This may include asteroids like Arrokoth.  
> **username_2**: @fasterthanlight fascinating! So I've just asked [How many solar system objects that can really qualify as a KBO are likely to enter Pluto's Hill sphere each day?](https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/q/40948/7982)  
> **username_3**: You might want to look at [plutinos](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plutino)  
> **username_0**: @NilayGhosh Wikipedia is quite silent on the Pluto MOID of Plutinos. I'd like to know how close to Pluto they can come, which one closest.  

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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2023-05-08. Score: 3

[Quaoar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/50000_Quaoar#/media/File:Artist_impression_of_Quaoar_and_its_ring_ESA24681885.jpeg)'s orbit should bring it within about 670,000,000km (~4.48 AU) of Pluto in ~150 years, according to the scale model in Universe Sandbox.

> **Comments:**
> **username_5**: According to Horizons, the next close approach occurs on 2148-Feb-19 (around 17:00 UTC), at a distance of 853643843 km ~= 5.7 AU.  
> **username_5**: Here's a Horizons query covering that timespan: https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/api/horizons.api?format=text&MAKE_EPHEM=YES&EPHEM_TYPE=V&VEC_LABELS=NO&OBJ_DATA=NO&VEC_TABLE=6&COMMAND=50000&CENTER=%409&START_TIME=%272148-Feb-19+12%3A00%27&STOP_TIME=%272148-Feb-20+0%3A00%27&STEP_SIZE=1h  

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### Answer by username_6 on 2023-05-08. Score: 3

Among neighborhood-clearing planets, it is [not Neptune but Uranus](https://nineplanets.org/plutos-orbit/) that comes closest to Pluto. Uranus comes within a minimum of about 11 AU from Pluto. While the ellipses that make up the orbits of Pluto and Neptune come closer than that, the resonant relationship between Pluto and Neptune prevents both objects from occupying the closest approach points at the same time.


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