"The Mystery of Non-Circular Orbits"

Not all celestial bodies orbit in perfect circles; orbits can take on various shapes due to the interplay of momentum and gravity. While planets and moons generally follow elliptical paths, comets and asteroids can have more complex trajectories, influenced by the gravitational pull of nearby objects. The dynamics of orbits can lead to phenomena such as quasi-satellites, where bodies are pulled into warped oval trajectories or even horseshoe-shaped orbits. These unusual orbits are unstable, but some, like the recently discovered quasi-satellite Kamo'oalewa, can persist for centuries despite the dynamic forces at work in space.