Question

All the planets move around the sun in a
A. Circular path
B. Rectangular path
C. Elongated path
D. None of the above

Answer 1

Hint: The Sun is a yellow dwarf star which is the heart of our solar system. It consists of everything such as planets, moons, asteroids, etc. that are bound to it by its gravity. Due to its mass, the sun produces a gravitational effect on the movement of all the celestial bodies around it.

Complete answer:
All planets including earth revolve around the Sun in a particular direction and speed. The fixed path taken by a planet to revolve around the sun to complete one revolution is called an orbit. The orbit of any celestial body or a planet in space is affected by the force of gravity of other celestial bodies around it. The trajectory taken by every planet to revolve around the Sun is elliptical or elongated but not circular. The Sun is located at one foci according to Kepler’s first law. Mercury completes one revolution around the sun in 88 days whereas the farthest planet Neptune takes nearly 165 years. Earth completes one orbital revolution in 365 days and five hours.
So, the correct answer is option C.

Note: Johannes Kepler in the 1600s explained the orbiting theory of planets around the sun. He postulated that the orbits of all the planets are governed by planetary motion. The distance of Earth closest to the Sun is approximately 91 million miles (147 million kilometres) and is called perihelion whereas, the farthest distance from sun is nearly 95 million miles (152 million kilometres) and called aphelion. An elliptical orbit is also called a Kepler orbit. It has an eccentricity of less than 1.