Ellipses are defined as curves that surround two focal points. At any point on the ellipse, the sum of the distance to both ...

Earth has a nearly circular orbit, but some planets outside our ... back and reprocess the entire data set," Entrican said. The eccentricity split coincides with several other iconic features ...

Earth's history is a roller-coaster of climate fluctuations, of relative warmth giving way to frozen periods of glaciation before rising up again to the more temperate climes we experience today.

"Tidal heating is not free energy though, so as it melts the shell, it pulls energy out of the orbit, which drops that eccentricity until it eventually circularizes it and shuts the whole thing down." ...

Changes in Earth's orbit have helped pace climatic change for millennia. Scientists are now trying to understand whether - and how - these changes remodeled the landscapes our ancient ancestors ...