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Angular resolution describes the smallest angular separation or structure an observation can distinguish. A physical scale $r$ at distance $D$ subtends approximately $r/D$ radians when $r\ll D$. Resolving a black-hole sphere of influence therefore involves distance as well as its physical radius, and useful kinematics also require adequate surface brightness.

The black-hole sphere of influence is a characteristic radius where the central black hole appreciably changes surrounding stellar dynamics. Equating its Newtonian gravitational potential scale $G{M}_{\bullet }/r$ to the ambient squared velocity dispersion gives $r_{\inf }\simeq G{M}_{\bullet }/{\sigma }^2$. Dynamical mass measurements depend on angular resolution $r_{\inf }/D$, tracer brightness, and degeneracies in the orbital distribution, not solely on black hole mass.

Let $p(r)=\rho (r){\sigma }_r^2(r)$ and use the velocity-anisotropy parameter $\beta =1-{\sigma }_{\theta }^2/{\sigma }_r^2$, with ${\sigma }_{\theta }^2={\sigma }_{\varphi }^2$. Here the tangential variance is per component; a definition using the sum of both tangential variances instead has an extra factor of two. The original PDF has this correct per-component ratio, which the TeX corrupts.

At a point along the line of sight, $r^2=R^2+z^2$. The radial direction makes an angle with the sightline satisfying ${\sin }^2\chi =R^2/r^2$. Spherical symmetry eliminates mixed moments, and projection givesUsing both sides of the galaxy and $dz=rdr/\sqrt{r^2-R^2}$,For this formula use $I$ as the projected density of the same tracer represented by $\rho$. If $\rho$ is a mass density and $I$ an observed surface brightness, a constant mass-to-light ratio rescales $I$ by that factor; otherwise replace $\rho$ by the luminosity density throughout the tracer equation. The gravitating $M(r)$ remains the total mass, not necessarily the tracer's mass.

The Spherical Jeans equation is $p^{\prime }+2\beta p/r=-\rho GM/r^2$. Eliminate $\beta p=-r[p^{\prime }+\rho GM/r^2]/2$ from the projected integrand:Rearranging provesNo constancy of $\beta$ was needed. Convergence of the projected moments and the steady spherical assumptions are required. This is the integral form of the projected spherical Jeans residual.

Although $\beta$ has disappeared explicitly, the unknown radial pressure $p$ still carries the orbital information. Thus the identity does not remove the mass--anisotropy--density degeneracy: projected brightness and one projected second moment do not uniquely determine both $M(r)$ and the radial/tangential partition. A central rise in velocity dispersion can reflect a compact central mass, radial orbital bias, or a changing mass-to-light ratio; flattening and departures from equilibrium add further ambiguities.

For example, within a point-mass-dominated region with tracer $\rho \propto r^{-k}$ and constant $\beta$, direct solution gives ${\sigma }_r^2=G{M}_{\bullet }/[(k+1-2\beta )r]$. For $k>1$ the projected velocity dispersion of a Keplerian cusp isThe beta function factors come from setting $r=R\sec \chi$ in the integrals along the line of sight. Different allowed $\beta$ generally change the mass needed to fit the same normalization; $k=2$ is a special cancellation, not the general case. Resolving the central black-hole sphere of influence and constraining orbital structure with higher velocity moments or additional kinematic directions strengthens a compact-mass inference. Brightness and velocity dispersion profiles alone do not establish a unique central black-hole mass, still less an event horizon.

Many lower-luminosity elliptical galaxies have dense central stellar cusps, giving far more photons and kinematic tracers near a central black hole than the shallow depleted cores common in massive elliptical galaxies, as measured in Central galaxy profiles. Thus central surface brightness can make the smaller black hole easier to measure, despite its smaller mass, whereas sparse central tracers and uncertain stellar orbital anisotropy weaken measurements in a large core. This is not a universal mass ordering: the black-hole sphere of influence $r_{\inf }\simeq G{M}_{\bullet }/{\sigma }^2$ must still be sufficiently resolved in angle, so distance, velocity dispersion and angular resolution also matter.