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How far is Pluto from the Sun?
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Pluto
Pluto as observed by the New Horizons spacecraft, July 13, 2015.
Pluto’s mean distance from the Sun is approximately 5.9 billion km (3.7 billion miles), or 39.5 astronomical units.1
Because Pluto follows a highly eccentric orbit, its distance from the Sun varies significantly throughout its revolution:1
- Perihelion (closest point): 29.7 AU1
- Aphelion (farthest point): 49.5 AU1
Due to this elongated path, Pluto is occasionally closer to the Sun than Neptune, which maintains a nearly circular orbit at 30.1 AU. Despite this proximity, the two bodies are prevented from colliding by a 3:2 orbital resonance.1