The conversation between human and AI assistant.
Why the orbits of planets are elliptical and not circular?
I'm curious about why the orbits of planets are elliptical instead of circular. Can you explain that to me?
Sure! Planets orbit the sun in an elliptical path rather than a circular one because of the gravitational pull of the sun. The shape of the orbit is affected by the mass and gravity of the object being orbited, as well as the initial conditions of the object's motion.