Following an object that follows a path

Hello. I’m working on a modell for orbital movements.

I have a sphere following an eliptic path. The path is following another path and that path is following yet another path. The pathes have different directions and alignements. Also they are rotating in itself. Now I want to show the actual movement of the sphere. Either by a line or by an array of circles.

The only idea I have so far is to create one more path and align it frame by frame. That seems rather tideous to me. So I’m hoping that somebody has a much easier way to do this.

Thomas