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An ellipse has 2 foci. They are inside the ellipse, but they can't be said to be at the centre, as an ellipse doesn't have one.
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How many foci in circular orbit?
Most orbits are elliptical; all NATURAL orbits are. There are two foci, or focuses, to an ellipse. The distance between the foci determines how eccentric, or non-circular, they are. If the two foci are in the same place, then the ellipse becomes a circle. So a circular orbit would have only one focus.
How are foci related to eccentricity?
The eccentricity of an ellipse is a number related to how "egg-shaped" it is ... the difference between the distance through the fat part and the distance through the skinny part. That's also related to the distance between the 'foci' (focuses) of the ellipse. The farther apart the foci are, the higher the eccentricity is, and the flatter the ellipse is. Comets have very eccentric orbits. When the two foci are at the same point, the eccentricity is zero, all of the diameters of the ellipse have the same length, and the ellipse is a circle. All of the planets have orbits with small eccentricities.
If an asteroid is in an elliptical orbit about the Sun with the Sun almost at the center of the ellipse what would the eccentricity of the ellipse be?
All natural orbits are ellipses. We can force an artificial satellite into a spherical orbit, but it won't STAY there without occasional adjustments. The "primary body" - in this case, the Sun - is at one of the two focuses (foci) of the orbit. If the focus is very close to the "center" of the ellipse, then the eccentricity of the orbit (how much it varies from a perfect circle) is close to zero.
What factors affect the perihelion and aphelion distance?
The orbit of a planet is not a circle with the sun at the center. It's an ellipse with the sun at one focus. An ellipse is an 'egg shape', or 'oval', or 'squashed circle'. It has two foci (focuses) and neither one is in the center. So you can easily see that as the planet moves along the ellipse, its distance from the sun changes, and there is a minimum distance (perihelion) and a maximum distance (aphelion). Those don't change unless the shape of the ellipse changes, and the only way that happens is through the gravitational influence of the other planets, which is relatively tiny over the course of many millennia.
What is the shape of the path of a planet or asteroid around the sun called?
The path itself is called its orbit. The shape is an ellipse, with the sun sitting at one of the foci.
What is the FOCI of a circle?
A circle is an ellipse with an eccentricity of zero. Both foci of that ellipse are at the same point. In the special case of the circle, that point is called the "center".
How many foci does an ellipse have?
Two
Can the foci of an ellipse can be outside the ellipse?
No. Both foci are always inside the ellipse, otherwise you don't have an ellipse.
Can the foci of an ellipse be outside of the ellipse?
No. Both foci are always inside the ellipse, otherwise you don't have an ellipse.
CanThe foci of an ellipse can be outside the ellipse?
No. Both foci are always inside the ellipse, otherwise you don't have an ellipse.
Can the foci of an ellipse be on the outside of a ellipse?
No.
Can the foci of the ellipse be outside of the ellipse?
No.
Can the foci's of and ellipse be outside the ellipse?
No.
How many lines of symmetry does an ellipse have?
An ellipse has two lines of mirror symmetry: the line that includes the two foci of the ellipse and the perpendicular bisector of the segment of that line between the two foci.
What is the distance from one of the foci of the ellipse from its center?
The length of the semi-major axis multiplied by the eccentricity.
What shape has two foci's?
An ellipse, a hyperbola.
Ellipse has two?
Foci.
