Problem

Source: Iberoamerican Olympiad 1990, Problem 4

Tags: conics, parabola, geometry, rectangle, power of a point, radical axis, geometry proposed



Let $\Gamma_{1}$ be a circle. $AB$ is a diameter, $\ell$ is the tangent at $B$, and $M$ is a point on $\Gamma_{1}$ other than $A$. $\Gamma_{2}$ is a circle tangent to $\ell$, and also to $\Gamma_{1}$ at $M$. a) Determine the point of tangency $P$ of $\ell$ and $\Gamma_{2}$ and find the locus of the center of $\Gamma_{2}$ as $M$ varies. b) Show that there exists a circle that is always orthogonal to $\Gamma_{2}$, regardless of the position of $M$.