No, it is not. NO orbits of natural satellites are perfect circles. (And when NASA manages to achieve a perfectly circular orbit for an artificial satellite, it doesn't stay that way for very long!)
All orbits are ellipses. The Earth's orbit is pretty close to circular; it's only about a 3% eccentricity. On January 4th (or thereabouts) when Earth is closest to the Sun, it's about 91 million miles away; on July 2nd (or about) when the Earth is most distant, it's a little over 94 million miles.
The orbit of the Earth is approximately an ellipse, which itself is precessing around the center of gravity of the Earth-Sun system.
Additionally, there are no perfectly circular orbits, as a satellite in a perfectly circular orbit has to have and maintain an exact velocity precisely between being slow and spiralling inwards and being too fast forming an elliptical orbit. Such an exact circumstance is physically improbable.
Pluto has a highly eccentric orbit - it's orbital eccentricity is equal to about 0.2488. As a consequence, during parts of it's orbit around the sun, Pluto eclipses Neptune's orbit, making it closer to the sun than Neptune. The last time Pluto was closer to the sun than Neptune was between February 7, 1979 and February 11, 1999.
No. The planets in the Solar System all have almost circular orbits, but the orbits of comets are highly eccentric (oval-shaped). This means that while the distance a planet is from the Sun is rather constant, the path of a comet means it comes close to the Sun, and then moves far away.
more circular and closer to being a perfect circle. Comets typically have highly elliptical orbits that can take them far from the Sun and then swing back in close again, while Jupiter's orbit is more stable and predictable due to its strong gravitational influence in the solar system.
A planet has a circular orbit, with the exception of pluto. A comet has a large but eliptical orbit. An asteroid has no orbit unless it becomes a moon. A meteor has no orbit. It usually flies in a straight line either burning up in the atmosphere or impacting on a planets surface. So, A comet.
No. Hale-Bopp is a comet. Comets are much smaller than planets, and travel in very eccentric orbits. This means that they come fairly close to the Sun at perihelion, and then retreat to great distances.
Like all orbiting bodies, an asteroid moves in an ellipse. Compared to the planets, these orbits have a higher probability of being more eccentric ("stretched out", further from being a circle). That is why some asteroids cross the orbit of the earth. Most asteroids move in near-circular orbits between Mars and Jupiter. A close approach to another asteroid or one of these planets can alter the orbit to a more eccentric one.
Yes. However, the orbits of all planets are elliptical. Some planets, like Earth, have a very low "eccentricity", which is a measure of how non-circular they are. Earth's orbit is not quite circular, but fairly close. Other planets, like Mars, have more eccentric orbits, and their perihelion and aphelion distances are substantially different.
Venus has the most nearly circular orbit of all the planets in our solar system. Its eccentricity, a measure of how elongated an orbit is, is only 0.0067, making it almost circular compared to other planets like Mercury or Mars.
Pluto has a highly eccentric orbit - it's orbital eccentricity is equal to about 0.2488. As a consequence, during parts of it's orbit around the sun, Pluto eclipses Neptune's orbit, making it closer to the sun than Neptune. The last time Pluto was closer to the sun than Neptune was between February 7, 1979 and February 11, 1999.
The scientific explanation lies in Kepler's laws of planetary motions, which were discovered by Newton to be linked with the law of gravity. All the planets have elliptical orbits, and many of those are close being circular.
pyloric sphincter
Close - they're called concentric circles.
No. The planets in the Solar System all have almost circular orbits, but the orbits of comets are highly eccentric (oval-shaped). This means that while the distance a planet is from the Sun is rather constant, the path of a comet means it comes close to the Sun, and then moves far away.
Not completely, however very close.
Earth's orbit (revolution) around the Sun is not circular - it's an ellipse. However, this ellipse is fairly close to a circle.
to communicate the location of food sources close to the colony
The Earth's orbit around the Sun is more circular and consistent, while a comet's orbit is typically more elliptical and variable. Comets also come from the outer solar system and have highly eccentric orbits that can bring them close to the Sun, leading to the development of a bright coma and tail due to the heat and radiation.