What shape is the path known as an orbit typically governed by gravitational laws?
Answer
elliptical
The path traced by any object moving under the dominant influence of a central gravitational mass, such as a planet around the Sun, is fundamentally governed by classical mechanics, specifically Kepler's laws of planetary motion. When this path is closed (meaning the object returns to its starting general vicinity), the resulting shape is mathematically defined as an ellipse. While a perfect circle is a specific, highly specialized type of ellipse where the two focal points coincide, the general and governing shape for celestial bodies in stable, bound trajectories is elliptical.
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