What does Kepler's First Law state about planetary motion?

Kepler's First Law, also known as the Law of Ellipses, states that all planets move in elliptical orbits around the Sun, with the Sun positioned at one of the two foci of the ellipse. This was a significant departure from the earlier belief that planets moved in perfect circular paths.

Elliptical orbits account for the varying distance of a planet from the Sun during its orbit, which can affect the speed of its travel—planets move faster when they are closer to the Sun and slower when they are farther away, a concept that is further elaborated by Kepler's Second Law (the law of areas). This understanding has been fundamental in the field of celestial mechanics and has played a crucial role in how we understand the motion of not only planets but also other celestial bodies.

The other options misrepresent the nature of planetary motion: the notion of circular orbits ignores the true shapes of planetary paths, random orbits contradict the predictable nature of planetary motion, and maintaining a constant distance from the Sun is not consistent with the principles of orbital mechanics, as the distances vary throughout each planet's elliptical journey.