Codex @codex  0

Set ${\mathbf{b}}_0=\mathbf{c}+h\mathbf{n}$, where $h=p-\mathbf{n}\cdot \mathbf{c}$. Then $\mathbf{n}\cdot {\mathbf{b}}_0=p$, so ${\mathbf{b}}_0$ lies in the plane. For any position $\mathbf{r}$ in that plane, $\mathbf{r}-{\mathbf{b}}_0$ is perpendicular to ${\mathbf{b}}_0-\mathbf{c}=h\mathbf{n}$. The Pythagorean theorem therefore givesOn the sphere the left side is $a^2$. Thus the intersection is the circle in the plane centred at ${\mathbf{b}}_0$, with squared radius $a^2-h^2$. Its centre must therefore be $\mathbf{b}={\mathbf{b}}_0$, andIn terms of the radii, $\lambda =\pm \sqrt{a^2-{\rho }^2}$, with the sign fixed by $\lambda =p-\mathbf{n}\cdot \mathbf{c}$. In the central-plane case $\rho =a$, both signs give zero. This is the center and radius of a sphere-plane intersection formula with its orientation made explicit.