Final answer:
The Earth orbits the Sun in an elliptical path, with the Sun at one of the two foci of the ellipse. This conforms to Kepler's First Law of Planetary Motion.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Earth orbits the Sun in an elliptical path, which is an elongated circle. This elliptical orbit means that although the path is very close to a circle, it is slightly stretched out along two opposing sides, giving it an oval shape. The Sun is positioned at one of the foci of this ellipse, not at the very center. This fact is in accordance with Kepler's First Law of Planetary Motion, which states that the orbit of each planet around the Sun is an ellipse with the Sun at one focus. Moreover, an ellipse is defined as an open curve where the sum of the distances from the foci to any point on the curve remains constant. Therefore, the correct answer to the question is A. An ellipse.