Earth revolves in eliptical path?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on how early scientists determined that Earth's orbit around the Sun is elliptical rather than circular. Key observations include tracking the relative positions of Earth and the Sun against the backdrop of stars, revealing that orbital speed varies with distance from the Sun, necessitating an elliptical path. Additionally, observations of other planets provide supporting evidence, although they present challenges due to their significant movement within a year. The reference to Kepler's laws of planetary motion underscores the foundational principles behind these conclusions.

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wasi-uz-zaman
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hi , how earlier scientist figure out that Earth has elliptical motion rather than circular around sun?
 
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You can track the relative position of Earth and sun relative to stars - the orbital speed depends on our distance to the sun, if that changes the orbit has to be a (true) ellipse.
You can use observations of other planets as well, but that is tricky as those move significantly within a year.
 

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