The intersection of a sphere with a plane is a point, or a circle.
It will be a point if the plane is tangent to the sphere.
PQ
A point.
A great circle is defined as the largest possible circle that can be drawn on a sphere, resulting from the intersection of the sphere with a plane that passes through the sphere's center. It represents the shortest path between two points on the surface of the sphere, making it significant in navigation and geography. Examples of great circles include the equator and the longitudinal lines on a globe.
That thing.
It will be a point if the plane is tangent to the sphere.
great circle
A circle~
We're having a hard time making out the dark grey area from here. But the intersection of a plane and a sphere is always a circle.
A Circle.
A circle, which could degenerate to a point.
The dark area is so dark that I'm unable to see it from here. But I do know that in general, the intersection of a plane and a sphere is a circle.
The point of intersection of a tangent line or plane with a circle on a sphere is the single point where the line or plane touches the circle. This point is unique because, by definition, a tangent line or plane only intersects a circle at one point without passing through it. If the tangent is from an external point, it signifies that the line or plane is just "touching" the circle at that specific location. In three-dimensional space, this concept illustrates the relationship between the geometry of the sphere and the properties of tangents.
The great circle is the intersection of a sphere and any plane passing through its centre. Given two distinct points on the surface of a sphere, those two points and the centre of the sphere define a plane. [If one of the points is at the antipodes of the other, an infinite number of planes are defined.] The great circle is the circle formed when that plane meets the surface of the sphere.
If the line is not IN the plane ... it just zaps through the plane from some direction ... then it touches the plane in only one point. The intersection is a point.if it is lined up with the plane, then the intersection is a line.
The intersection of a line and a plane can result in either a single point, if the line passes through the plane, or no intersection at all if the line is parallel to the plane and does not touch it. In some cases, if the line lies entirely within the plane, every point on the line will be an intersection point. Thus, the nature of the intersection depends on the relative positions of the line and the plane.
Section of the plane.