What is the relationship between planets and conic sections?

The relationship between planets and conic sections lies in the shape of their orbits. According to Kepler's laws of planetary motion, planets move in elliptical orbits with the Sun at one focus, which is a type of conic section. Other conic sections—such as parabolas and hyperbolas—describe the paths of objects in different gravitational interactions, like comets or spacecraft trajectories. Thus, conic sections provide a mathematical framework for understanding the motion of celestial bodies.