The Moon's orbit around the Earth is not a perfect circle but rather an ellipse. An ellipse is a shape that resembles a stretched-out circle, with two foci (plural of focus) instead of a single center.
The Earth's gravitational pull on the Moon causes it to follow an elliptical path as it orbits around our planet. In an elliptical orbit, the distance between the Moon and the Earth varies throughout its revolution. At the point of the orbit closest to the Earth, called perigee, the Moon is relatively closer to us. Conversely, at the farthest point, called apogee, the Moon is relatively farther away.
Although the Moon's orbit is elliptical, it is close enough to being circular that it appears circular to the naked eye. The eccentricity of the Moon's orbit is relatively small, so the deviation from a perfect circle is not easily noticeable.
It is important to note that while the Moon orbits the Earth, the Earth itself is also in motion. The Earth moves around the Sun in an elliptical orbit as part of our solar system. This means that the Moon's orbit is not only influenced by the Earth's gravity but also affected by the combined gravitational forces of the Earth and the Sun.
In summary, the Moon's orbit around the Earth is best described as an elliptical path, although it appears close to a circle due to the small eccentricity of its orbit.