Abstract
A clear and simple physical approach to the explanation of exact particular solutions of the classical many-body problem is suggested. When the motion of individual bodies coupled by mutual gravitational forces in a many-body system occurs along conic sections, each body can be treated as moving not under the pull of the other moving bodies, but rather under a stationary central inverse-square gravitational field. These solutions describing possible amazingly simple (Keplerian) many-body motions are illustrated by computer simulations. Some pedagogical and philosophical aspects of the problem are discussed.