NGC 6264

NGC 6264
NGC 6264
	SDSS image of NGC 6264
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
Constellation	Hercules
Right ascension	16h 57m 16.12s
Declination	+27° 50′ 58.56″
Redshift	0.033840
Heliocentric radial velocity	10,145 ± 2 km/s
Distance	495.3 ± 34.7 Mly (151.85 ± 10.63 Mpc)
Apparent magnitude (V)	14.7
Characteristics
Type	Sb Sy2
Size	~154,000 ly (47.3 kpc) (estimated)
Other designations
	CGCG 169-015, MCG +05-40-009, IRAS-L 16552+2755, PGC 59306, UCM 1655+2755, WBL 625-001

NGC 6264 is an active Seyfert galaxy located in the constellation of Hercules. The redshift of the galaxy is (z) 0.033 and it was first discovered in June 1864 by the German astronomer Albert Marth who described it as having a magnitude of 15 and is faint, small and also round. This galaxy is known to host a triple peaked water megamaser.

Description

NGC 6264 is categorized as a barred spiral galaxy of Type Sb or Type Sc+. The nucleus of this galaxy is known to be active and is classified as a Type 2 Seyfert galaxy. The galaxy contains signatures of water maser emission with its own circumnuclear disk warped slightly and also having a thin appearance. The position angle of the disk is -85° and the inclination angle is 90°. The disk's inner and outer radius are 0.18 and 0.77 parsecs respectively. The estimated mass of the Keplerian disk is 0.42 ± 0.03 × 10⁷ M_☉.

A study has found the supermassive black hole lying in the center of NGC 6264 has a mass of 3.09 ± 0.42 × 10⁷ M_☉. The maser features have different acceleration ranges, with the masers in one of the clump features having velocities higher than at least 7 kilometers per second per year. In another clump, the masers have an acceleration of 3.96 ± 1.77 kilometers per second per year. The total star formation of the galaxy is estimated to be around 1.4 M_☉ per year. Further evidence also suggests the active galactic nucleus (AGN) is Compton thick. The bolometric luminosity of the AGN is 45.55 erg s⁻¹.

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "NED Search results for NGC 6264". NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database. Retrieved 2026-03-27.
↑ "Revised NGC Data for NGC 6264". spider.seds.org. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
↑ "New General Catalog Objects: NGC 6250 - 6299". cseligman.com. Retrieved 2026-03-27.
1 2 Kuo, C. Y.; Braatz, J. A.; Impellizzeri, C. M. V.; Gao, F.; Pesce, D.; Reid, M. J.; Condon, J.; Kamali, F.; Henkel, C. (2019-10-31). "The Megamaser Cosmology Project. XII. VLBI Imaging of H2O Maser Emission in Three Active Galaxies and the Effect of AGN Winds on Disk Dynamics". arXiv:1910.14314v2 [astro-ph.GA].
↑ Pesce, D. W.; Braatz, J. A.; Reid, M. J.; Riess, A. G.; Scolnic, D.; Condon, J. J.; Gao, F.; Henkel, C.; Impellizzeri, C. M. V.; Kuo, C. Y.; Lo, K. Y. (2020-02-26). "The Megamaser Cosmology Project. XIII. Combined Hubble Constant Constraints". The Astrophysical Journal Letters. 891 (1): L1. arXiv:2001.09213. Bibcode:2020ApJ...891L...1P. doi:10.3847/2041-8213/ab75f0. ISSN 2041-8205.
1 2 Castangia, P.; Panessa, F.; Henkel, C.; Kadler, M.; Tarchi, A. (2013-10-22). "New Compton-thick AGN in the circumnuclear H2O maser hosts UGC 3789 and NGC 6264". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 436 (4): 3388–3398. arXiv:1309.6515. doi:10.1093/mnras/stt1824. ISSN 1365-2966.
↑ Vitores, A. G.; Zamorano, J.; Rego, M.; Alonso, O.; Gallego, J. (1996-07-01). "Photometric and morphological analysis of UCM galaxies. I. Observations and reductions. Morphological classifications" (PDF). Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement Series. 118 (1): 7–34. doi:10.1051/aas:1996178. ISSN 0365-0138.
↑ Perez-Gonzalez, P. G.; de Paz, A. Gil; Zamorano, J.; Gallego, J.; Alonso-Herrero, A.; Aragon-Salamanca, A. (2002-09-19). "Stellar populations in local star-forming galaxies. I.-Data and modelling procedure". arXiv:astro-ph/0209396.
↑ Kondratko, Paul T.; Greenhill, Lincoln J.; Moran, James M. (November 2006). "Discovery of Water Maser Emission in Five AGNs and a Possible Correlation Between Water Maser and Nuclear 2-10 keV Luminosities". The Astrophysical Journal. 652 (1): 136–145. arXiv:astro-ph/0610060. Bibcode:2006ApJ...652..136K. doi:10.1086/507885. ISSN 0004-637X.
↑ Kuo, C. Y.; Braatz, J. A.; Condon, J. J.; Impellizzeri, C. M. V.; Lo, K. Y.; Zaw, I.; Schenker, M.; Henkel, C.; Reid, M. J.; Greene, J. E. (January 2011). "The Megamaser Cosmology Project. III. Accurate Masses of Seven Supermassive Black Holes in Active Galaxies with Circumnuclear Megamaser Disks". The Astrophysical Journal. 727 (1): 20. arXiv:1008.2146. Bibcode:2011ApJ...727...20K. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/727/1/20. ISSN 0004-637X.
↑ Kuo, C. Y.; Reid, M. J.; Braatz, J. A.; Gao, F.; Impellizzeri, C. M. V.; Chien, W. T. (2018-06-01). "On Estimating the Mass of Keplerian Accretion Disks in H₂O Maser Galaxies". The Astrophysical Journal. 859 (2): 172. arXiv:1712.09170. Bibcode:2018ApJ...859..172K. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/aabff1. ISSN 0004-637X.
↑ Kuo, C. Y.; Braatz, J. A.; Reid, M. J.; Lo, K. Y.; Condon, J. J.; Impellizzeri, C. M. V.; Henkel, C. (2013-04-08). "THE MEGAMASER COSMOLOGY PROJECT. V. AN ANGULAR-DIAMETER DISTANCE TO NGC 6264 AT 140 Mpc". The Astrophysical Journal. 767 (2): 155. arXiv:1207.7273. Bibcode:2013ApJ...767..155K. doi:10.1088/0004-637x/767/2/155. ISSN 0004-637X.

External links

NGC 6264 on WikiSky: DSS2, SDSS, GALEX, IRAS, Hydrogen α, X-Ray, Astrophoto, Sky Map, Articles and images

[ned-1] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "NED Search results for NGC 6264". NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database. Retrieved 2026-03-27.

[2] "Revised NGC Data for NGC 6264". spider.seds.org. Retrieved 30 March 2024.

[3] "New General Catalog Objects: NGC 6250 - 6299". cseligman.com. Retrieved 2026-03-27.

[:0-4] 1 2 Kuo, C. Y.; Braatz, J. A.; Impellizzeri, C. M. V.; Gao, F.; Pesce, D.; Reid, M. J.; Condon, J.; Kamali, F.; Henkel, C. (2019-10-31). "The Megamaser Cosmology Project. XII. VLBI Imaging of H2O Maser Emission in Three Active Galaxies and the Effect of AGN Winds on Disk Dynamics". arXiv:1910.14314v2 [astro-ph.GA].

[5] Pesce, D. W.; Braatz, J. A.; Reid, M. J.; Riess, A. G.; Scolnic, D.; Condon, J. J.; Gao, F.; Henkel, C.; Impellizzeri, C. M. V.; Kuo, C. Y.; Lo, K. Y. (2020-02-26). "The Megamaser Cosmology Project. XIII. Combined Hubble Constant Constraints". The Astrophysical Journal Letters. 891 (1): L1. arXiv:2001.09213. Bibcode:2020ApJ...891L...1P. doi:10.3847/2041-8213/ab75f0. ISSN 2041-8205.

[:1-6] 1 2 Castangia, P.; Panessa, F.; Henkel, C.; Kadler, M.; Tarchi, A. (2013-10-22). "New Compton-thick AGN in the circumnuclear H2O maser hosts UGC 3789 and NGC 6264". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 436 (4): 3388–3398. arXiv:1309.6515. doi:10.1093/mnras/stt1824. ISSN 1365-2966.

[7] Vitores, A. G.; Zamorano, J.; Rego, M.; Alonso, O.; Gallego, J. (1996-07-01). "Photometric and morphological analysis of UCM galaxies. I. Observations and reductions. Morphological classifications" (PDF). Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement Series. 118 (1): 7–34. doi:10.1051/aas:1996178. ISSN 0365-0138.

[8] Perez-Gonzalez, P. G.; de Paz, A. Gil; Zamorano, J.; Gallego, J.; Alonso-Herrero, A.; Aragon-Salamanca, A. (2002-09-19). "Stellar populations in local star-forming galaxies. I.-Data and modelling procedure". arXiv:astro-ph/0209396.

[9] Kondratko, Paul T.; Greenhill, Lincoln J.; Moran, James M. (November 2006). "Discovery of Water Maser Emission in Five AGNs and a Possible Correlation Between Water Maser and Nuclear 2-10 keV Luminosities". The Astrophysical Journal. 652 (1): 136–145. arXiv:astro-ph/0610060. Bibcode:2006ApJ...652..136K. doi:10.1086/507885. ISSN 0004-637X.

[10] Kuo, C. Y.; Braatz, J. A.; Condon, J. J.; Impellizzeri, C. M. V.; Lo, K. Y.; Zaw, I.; Schenker, M.; Henkel, C.; Reid, M. J.; Greene, J. E. (January 2011). "The Megamaser Cosmology Project. III. Accurate Masses of Seven Supermassive Black Holes in Active Galaxies with Circumnuclear Megamaser Disks". The Astrophysical Journal. 727 (1): 20. arXiv:1008.2146. Bibcode:2011ApJ...727...20K. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/727/1/20. ISSN 0004-637X.

[11] Kuo, C. Y.; Reid, M. J.; Braatz, J. A.; Gao, F.; Impellizzeri, C. M. V.; Chien, W. T. (2018-06-01). "On Estimating the Mass of Keplerian Accretion Disks in H₂O Maser Galaxies". The Astrophysical Journal. 859 (2): 172. arXiv:1712.09170. Bibcode:2018ApJ...859..172K. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/aabff1. ISSN 0004-637X.

[12] Kuo, C. Y.; Braatz, J. A.; Reid, M. J.; Lo, K. Y.; Condon, J. J.; Impellizzeri, C. M. V.; Henkel, C. (2013-04-08). "THE MEGAMASER COSMOLOGY PROJECT. V. AN ANGULAR-DIAMETER DISTANCE TO NGC 6264 AT 140 Mpc". The Astrophysical Journal. 767 (2): 155. arXiv:1207.7273. Bibcode:2013ApJ...767..155K. doi:10.1088/0004-637x/767/2/155. ISSN 0004-637X.