Answer:

An ellipse is the shape of the cross-section when a circular cylinder is cut at an angle, or a circle is stretched in opposite directions. Whenever a circular object, such as the rim of a cup or saucer, is viewed from an angle the shape seen is an ellipse, and an artist will draw it as such. It is also the shape of the orbit of a satellite around the Earth.

An ellipse is the path traced out by a point whose distance from a fixed point, called the focus, maintains a constant ratio less than one with its distance from a straight line not passing through the focus, called the directrix.

Example of an Ellipse: