Small circle

From Free net encyclopedia

A small circle of a sphere is the circle constructed by a plane crossing the sphere not in its center. Small circles always have smaller diameters than the sphere itself (compare great circle).

The small circle does not have the smallest curvature, and hence, a segment on its circumference does not represent the shortest path between two points on a spherical surface.eo:Minuskla cirklo sv:Småcirkel