Stereographic projection

In cartography and geometry, the stereographic projection is a mapping that projects each point on a sphere onto a tangent plane along a straight line from the antipode of the point of tangency (with one exception: the center of projection, antipodal to the point of tangency, is not projected to any point in the Euclidean plane; it is thought of as corresponding to a "point at infinity"). One approaches that point at infinity by continuing in any direction at all; in that respect this situation is unlike the projective plane, which has many points at infinity.

Related Topics:
Cartography - Geometry - Sphere - Tangent plane - Line - Antipode - Point of tangency - Projective plane

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