The Phoenix galaxy as seen by NuSTAR
A. Masini, A. Comastri, S. Puccetti, M. Balokovi\'c, P. Gandhi, M., Guainazzi, F. E. Bauer, S. E. Boggs, P. G. Boorman, M. Brightman, F. E., Christensen, W. W. Craig, D. Farrah, C. J. Hailey, F. A. Harrison, M. J., Koss, S. M. LaMassa, C. Ricci, D. Stern, D. J. Walton

TL;DR
This study analyzes 20 years of X-ray observations of the Seyfert 2 galaxy Mrk 1210, highlighting its long-term variability, spectral characteristics, and the nature of its obscuring material using NuSTAR data.
Contribution
It provides the first high-quality hard X-ray spectrum of Mrk 1210 with NuSTAR and constrains the geometry and variability of its obscuring material over 16.9 years.
Findings
Mrk 1210 shows consistent Compton-thin obscuration over 20 years.
The 1995 ASCA observation captured a low flux, possibly Compton-thick state.
The distance to the reflector is at least ~2 parsecs, or the eclipsing cloud is a water maser-emitting clump.
Abstract
Aims. We study the long-term variability of the well-known Seyfert 2 galaxy Mrk 1210 (a.k.a. UGC 4203, or the Phoenix galaxy). Methods. The source was observed by many X-ray facilities in the last 20 years. Here we present a NuSTAR observation and put the results in context of previously published observations. Results. NuSTAR observed Mrk 1210 in 2012 for 15.4 ks. The source showed Compton-thin obscuration similar to that observed by Chandra, Suzaku, BeppoSAX and XMM-Newton over the past two decades, but different from the first observation by ASCA in 1995, in which the active nucleus was caught in a low flux state - or obscured by Compton-thick matter, with a reflection-dominated spectrum. Thanks to the high-quality hard X-ray spectrum obtained with NuSTAR and exploiting the long-term spectral coverage spanning 16.9 years, we can precisely disentangle the transmission and…
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