Consider an ellipsoid of semi-axes a, b, c (possibly prolate, b=c). I am interested in the "shadow" of this solid onto a distant plane, in a given direction d=(k,l,m) orthogonal to that plane. By shadow I mean the projected area onto the plane: each point on the surface of the ellipsoid is translated in the same direction until it intersects with a plane normal to it; the shadow is defined by the envelope of the intersection points.
First question: Is the projected curve an ellipse? (and what is its equation in terms of a,b,c and the direction vector d)?
Second question: What is the mean area of this shadow when averaged over all orientations of the ellipsoid (or, equivalently, the plane of projection)
I'm guessing this problem has been solved in the past; any references would be very welcome.
Thanks,
baptiste