What do you mean by the "envelope" of the $\mathcal{E}_1$ set of ellipses? <hr /> [![Ellipses][1]][1] <br /> <sup> $\mathcal{E}_1$: $a=1$; $e=0,0.1,\ldots,0.9,1$. </sup> <hr /> [1]: https://i.sstatic.net/yjrU7.jpg