Where the very elliptical orbits are extremely eccentric with the aphelion being very far away.

Resources to address this

• The solar system: what do we know?   (11-14)

  Ref - SPT ES03 PN01

  This is a summary of the layout of the Solar System.

  View Resource

• Drawing ellipses to represent orbits  (11-16)

  Ref - Practical Physics / Astronomy / Kepler's laws/ Drawing ellipses to represent orbits

  The Earth's orbit around the Sun is not perfectly circular. It follows a slightly elliptical path, with the Sun at one focus.

  View Resource

• Movements in the solar system  (5-!!)

  Ref - SPT HS03 PN06

  This is a summary of what is known about the solar system.

  View Resource

References

The following studies have documented this misconception:

• Cox, M., Steegen, A. and Cock, D. M., (2016) How Aware Are Teachers of Students’ Misconceptions in Astronomy? A Qualitative Analysis in Belgium, Science Education International, 27 (2)

  277-300.

  Review sheet