Because that's the way gravity works. If you take Newton's formula for the force
of gravity, and you have enough geometry and calculus, you can massage the
formula around and derive Kepler's three laws of planetary motion. His first law
says that planets move in ellipses with the sun at one focus. Kepler got that from
Tycho's notebooks, where he wrote down the results of years and years of watching
and measuring the positions of the planets. Kepler showed that the ellipse was the
best fit to what Tycho actually saw happening in the sky. Then 100 years later, Newton
came along and showed, with one simple formula to describe gravity, why orbits must
be ellipses.
Planets orbit the sun because gravity keeps them from escaping, and momentum keeps them moving forward. The orbits are elliptical, which is like an oval.
As an elliptical orbit is any orbit that isn't perfectly circular, everything has an elliptical orbit. The planets Mercury and Pluto have the most elliptical orbits of the planets, and are easily seen to be oval shaped. Comets also have highly elliptical orbits.
They are orbits and they are elliptical in shape. So the answer could be "orbits" or it could be "ellipses".
No.No.No.No.
Planets orbit the sun in the shape of an ellipse, which is an elongated circle similar to an oval. When it was first discovered that the Sun is the center of the solar system, it was thought that all the planets had a circular orbit, but the calculations didn't fit.
Elliptical Orbit
all of the planets have the same elliptical shaped orbit.
An elliptical orbit is a flattened circle or oval-like shape followed by a planet as it travels around the sun. It is a common shape observed in celestial bodies' paths due to the gravitational pull between them.
Oval or elliptical shaped. (Not a perfect circle)
in a oval shape not really a circle ANSWER:OVAL
The orbits of planets are actually elliptical, not perfectly circular. An ellipse is a stretched-out circle. The shape of a planet's orbit can be described as an ellipse with the Sun at one of the two foci.
It varies from planet to planet. But most planets including our own, orbit the star in an elliptical motion.
The planets in our solar system have an elliptical (oval) orbit around the Sun. This orbital shape is a result of the gravitational forces between the planets and the Sun. Planets closer to the Sun have shorter and more circular orbits, while those farther away have longer and more elliptical orbits.
The SHAPE of the orbit the Earth and most planets and other bodies of mass in space are usually elliptical.
Planets are kept in elliptical orbits due to the gravitational force acting between the planet and the sun. This force causes the planet to move in a curved path, resulting in an elliptical orbit. The balance between the planet's inertia and the gravitational force determines the shape of the orbit.
Kepler discovered that the planets orbit the Sun in elliptical shapes. This means that their orbits are not perfect circles, but instead are stretched out ovals with the Sun located at one of the foci of the ellipse.
Planets orbit the sun because gravity keeps them from escaping, and momentum keeps them moving forward. The orbits are elliptical, which is like an oval.