Planets in our solar system don't have a defined "orbital shape" in the way we think of shapes like squares or circles. Instead, their orbits are elliptical.

Here's a breakdown:

* Ellipse: An ellipse is a slightly squashed circle. It has two focal points, and the sum of the distances from any point on the ellipse to the two focal points is constant.

* Orbit: A planet's orbit is the path it takes around the Sun.

* Elliptical Orbit: Planets in our solar system follow paths that are close to elliptical. This means they don't move in a perfect circle around the Sun but rather in a slightly oval-shaped path.

While the orbits are technically elliptical, they are very close to circular for most planets. It's helpful to think of it as a slightly squashed circle where the "squashing" is not very pronounced.

Here's an important point: The Earth's orbit is not a perfect circle, it's slightly elliptical. This is why we have different seasons throughout the year.