Elliptical Orbit | World’s Science|
An elliptical orbit refers to the path of an object moving around a central body (like a planet around the Sun) that follows an ellipse, rather than a perfect circle. An ellipse is a stretched circle, with two focal points, one of which is the center of the orbiting body (e.g., the Sun). In this type of orbit, the distance between the orbiting object and the central body varies—being closest at one point (called perihelion in the case of Earth around the Sun) and farthest at another (called aphelion).
Elliptical orbits are described by Kepler’s First Law of Planetary Motion, which states that planets move in ellipses with the Sun at one focus. The shape of the ellipse is determined by its eccentricity: the higher the eccentricity, the more elongated the ellipse.