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Use the unit sphere $X^2+Y^2+Z^2=1$, its north pole $(0,0,1)$, and the equatorial complex plane $Z=0$. The line from the north pole to a sphere point meets that plane atThe north pole maps to $\infty$. The inverse stereographic projection isThe antipodal point has coordinate $w=-(X+iY)/(1+Z)$. Since $X^2+Y^2=(1-Z)(1+Z)$, this is $-1/\bar{z}$ when both sides are finite and nonzero. Zero and infinity correspond to the two poles and are exchanged by the same extended convention. The inverse formula also proves the converse, giving the antipodal stereographic coordinate relation

The requested rotation result is that sphere rotations correspond exactly to Möbius transformationsThe matrices $\left(\begin{array}{cc}a& b\\ -\bar{b}& \bar{a}\end{array}\right)$ form $SU(2)$, and opposite matrices induce the same transformation. Thus the rotation group $SO(3)$ is identified with $SU(2)/\{\pm I\}$. This is the sphere rotations as special-unitary Möbius transformations result, which need not be proved here.

For a planar circle $|z-c|=r$, $c=a+ib$ and $r>0$, substitute $|z{|}^2=(1+Z)/(1-Z)$ and $\Re (\bar{c}z)=(aX+bY)/(1-Z)$. Multiplication by $1-Z$ gives the circle-plane relation under stereographic projection:The lift lies in this plane, and conversely its intersection with the sphere projects onto the circle. It is a nondegenerate circle on the sphere. The north pole is not on the displayed plane, since substitution there gives two rather than zero.

A great circle is the intersection with a plane through the sphere's centre. Here this holds exactly whenThe unit circle lifts to the equator. If a different circle lifts to a great circle, its plane and the equatorial plane are distinct planes through the origin, so their intersection cuts the sphere at two antipodal equatorial points. Their planar coordinates are $z$ and $-z$ on $|z|=1$.

Conversely, if the planar circle meets the unit circle in $z$ and $-z$, their lifts are antipodal equatorial points. The plane of the lifted circle contains their midpoint, the origin, so that circle is great. Equivalently, adding $|z-c{|}^2=r^2$ and $|-z-c{|}^2=r^2$ gives $r^2=1+|c{|}^2$. The exclusion of the unit circle ensures the two intersection points are a genuine pair rather than coincident circles. This proves the antipodal equatorial intersection criterion for a great circle.