The orbit of planets around the Sun is best described as which shape?

The orbit of planets around the Sun is best described as which shape?

• A. Elliptical
• B. Circular
• C. Parabolic
• D. Hyperbolic

Answer: (A)

Planets travel around the Sun in closed, oval paths called ellipses. An ellipse is like a stretched circle, and a key feature is that the Sun sits at one of the ellipse’s focal points, not at the center. Gravity pulls the planet inward, but as the planet moves, its speed adjusts so the path stays in a repeating loop. A circle is just a special kind of ellipse with no stretch, but real planetary orbits aren’t perfect circles—they’re ellipses with a bit of flattening. Parabolic and hyperbolic paths describe objects that aren’t bound to the Sun and would escape instead of staying in orbit.

Planets travel around the Sun in closed, oval paths called ellipses. An ellipse is like a stretched circle, and a key feature is that the Sun sits at one of the ellipse’s focal points, not at the center. Gravity pulls the planet inward, but as the planet moves, its speed adjusts so the path stays in a repeating loop. A circle is just a special kind of ellipse with no stretch, but real planetary orbits aren’t perfect circles—they’re ellipses with a bit of flattening. Parabolic and hyperbolic paths describe objects that aren’t bound to the Sun and would escape instead of staying in orbit.