SESKStuff Everyone Should Know
SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/aero-orbit-ellipse-shape

What shape are all orbits?

Elliptical, shaped like an oval.

Start playing free

  1. Only perfect circles
  2. Spirals that shrink each trip
  3. Ellipses, like an oval ✔

Why: Every orbit is an ellipse, a stretched circle. The planets' orbits are close to circles, while comets often follow long, thin ellipses.

Huh, didn't know that: An orbit is a regular, repeating path one object in space takes around another.

The dad joke
Why did the satellite go around in circles? Actually, it was more of an oval situation.
Like this card?
Play the game

References

Answer: Ellipses, like an oval. Every orbit is an ellipse, a stretched circle. The planets' orbits are close to circles, while comets often follow long, thin ellipses.

  1. NASA Space Place: What Is an Orbit? spaceplace.nasa.gov/orbits/en
    All orbits are elliptical, which means they are an ellipse, similar to an oval.
    Checked 2026-10-10.

Think this answer is wrong? Tap "Challenge this answer" on the card in the game and tell us why.

Test yourself in the game

Flying & DronesIn a satellite's orbit around Earth, what is the apogee?Flying & DronesAbout how high is a circular geosynchronous orbit?Flying & DronesWhich spacecraft became the first artificial satellite?

That's stuff everyone should know.