Why are the circles elliptical and oriented in a direction?
Angle of impact.
A 90 degree fall (head on / straight in) makes a perfectly round crater.
A 45 degree angle (glancing blow / side swipe) makes a perfect ellipse.
I read that the Chixlub meteorite entered at about a 35 degree angle coming from the south. I wouldn’t have wanted to be in North America 65 million years ago when it hit.
Try it. Report back.