Journal profile · Astronomy & Astrophysics
Astronomische Nachrichten
ISSN 0004-6337 · eISSN 1521-3994 · Wiley-VCH Verlag · GERMANY · Bimonthly · Founded 1823
Astronomische Nachrichten: CAS Zone 4 · Physics & Astronomy (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 0.85; hybrid open access; APC about USD 2,810; review about 50 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); community-reported acceptance: easy; 126 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Astronomische Nachrichten is published by Wiley-VCH Verlag and is in Zone 4 of Physics & Astronomy in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are History and Developments in Astronomy, Astro and Planetary Science and Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies, together about 45.3% of its articles. Its main subfields are Astronomy and Astrophysics. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Astronomische Nachrichten, founded in 1821 by H. C. Schumacher, is the oldest astronomical journal worldwide still being published. Famous astronomical discoveries and important papers on astronomy and astrophysics published in more than 300 volumes of the journal give an outstanding representation of the progress of astronomical research over the last 180 years. Today, Astronomical Notes/ Astronomische Nachrichten publishes articles in the field of observational and theoretical astrophysics and related topics in solar-system and solar physics. Additional, papers on astronomical instrumentation ground-based and space-based as well as papers about numerical astrophysical techniques and supercomputer modelling are covered. Papers can be completed by short video sequences in the electronic version. Astronomical Notes/ Astronomische Nachrichten also publishes special issues of meeting proceedings. ISSN: Previously 0004-6337 (print). 1521-3994 (online). Currently 10 issues per year. How to cite: To make sure that references to this journal are correctly recorded and resolved (for example in CrossRef, PubMed, or ISI Web of Knowledge), please use the following abbreviated title in any citations: "Astron. Nachr." (punctuation may vary according to the style of the citing journal).
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Astronomy & Astrophysics
Editor-in-chief Sydney A. BarnesPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 4%); most named Germany 10, United States 2, Austria 2, Mainland China 1, South Korea 1 (24 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- History and Developments in AstronomyPhysics and Astronomy21.5%
- Astro and Planetary SciencePhysics and Astronomy15.8%
- Stellar, planetary, and galactic studiesPhysics and Astronomy8%
- Historical Astronomy and Related StudiesPhysics and Astronomy6.9%
- Agriculture and Biological StudiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences4.6%
- Astronomical and nuclear sciencesPhysics and Astronomy4.4%
- Atmospheric Ozone and ClimateEarth and Planetary Sciences3.5%
- Astrophysics and Star Formation StudiesPhysics and Astronomy3.4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Physics & Astronomy Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Physics & Astronomy | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Astronomy & Astrophysics | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Physics & Astronomy Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Physics & Astronomy | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Astronomy & Astrophysics | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Physics & Astronomy Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Physics & Astronomy | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Astronomy & Astrophysics | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of ScienceINSPECCASzbMATHCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: ProQuest, Astrophysics Data System
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 0.85LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 1Publisher website ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 1.6LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 1.6Publisher website ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 1.6Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.31LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.39LetPub ·
- h-index
- 48LetPub ·
- h-index
- 84OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,415OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.91OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 20%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 31.72%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 99LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 102Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 83,025Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 56,010 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 72 | 38 | 5 |
| 2025 | 126 | 79 | 88 |
| 2024 | 122 | 79 | 197 |
| 2023 | 159 | 108 | 313 |
| 2022 | 96 | 42 | 294 |
| 2021 | 218 | 122 | 923 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with Crossref
Not usableThis publisher's "received" date is mostly when the revised manuscript arrived (31% of articles were "accepted" within 3 days), so it cannot measure review time
Figures by source
- Average review time (community reports)
- 4–8 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 67%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 67%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 17 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 17 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 50 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 16 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single anonymous peer reviewPublisher website
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 2,810 / EUR 2,350 / GBP 1,890 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
Other charges and waivers (author guidelines)
- Page charges
- No page charges
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
What to prepare3 items from the author guidelines
- Keywords
- ≤ 5
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Plagiarism, Preprints
- Authorship Authorship
All listed authors should have contributed to the manuscript substantially and have agreed to the final submitted version. Review editorial standards and scroll down for a description of authorship criteria.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Conflict of Interest
The journal requires that all authors disclose any potential sources of conflict of interest. Any interest or relationship, financial or otherwise that might be perceived as influencing an author's objectivity is considered a potential source of conflict of interest. These must be disclosed when directly relevant or directly related to the work that the authors describe in their manuscript.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data Sharing and Data Availability
Data sharing expected with data availability statement Model summary
This journal expects data sharing. Authors are asked to provide a data availability statement to describe the availability or the absence of shared data. When data have been shared, authors are required to include in their data availability statement a link to the repository they have used, and to cite the data they have shared. Whenever possible the scripts and other artefacts used to generate th…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics 3. EDITORIAL POLICIES AND ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
Follows COPE core practices Model summary
Peer Review This journal operates under a single anonymous peer review model. Papers will only be sent to review if the Editors determines that the paper meets the appropriate quality and relevance requirements.All contributions will be evaluated according to the standard procedures of peer review. To facilitate the refereeing process, you may provide the names and email addresses of referees capa…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Reproduction of Copyright Material
If excerpts from copyrighted works owned by third parties are included, credit must be shown in the contribution. It is the author’s responsibility to also obtain written permission for reproduction from the copyright owners.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open Access
This journal offers authors an open access option. You’ll have the option to choose to make your article open access after acceptance, which will be subject to an APC. Some organizations pay APCs for their authors via a Wiley Open Access Account. For more information on this journal’s APCs, please see the Open Access page. You may be eligible for waivers or discounts, through your institution, fun…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer Review
Single anonymous peer review model Model summary
This journal operates under a single anonymous peer review model. Papers will only be sent to review if the Editors determines that the paper meets the appropriate quality and relevance requirements.All contributions will be evaluated according to the standard procedures of peer review. To facilitate the refereeing process, you may provide the names and email addresses of referees capable of revie…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Plagiarism
Uses iThenticate CrossCheck for plagiarism detection Model summary
This journal uses iThenticate’s CrossCheck software to detect instances of overlapping and similar text in submitted manuscripts.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints
Preprint policy: accepts preprints Model summary
Astronomische Nachrichten / Astronomical Notes (AN) accepts articles previously published on preprint servers.
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Wiley-VCH Verlag
- Country or region
- GERMANY
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1823
- ISSN
- 0004-6337
- Electronic ISSN
- 1521-3994
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 347, Issue 7 (August 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Astronomische Nachrichten
What CAS zone is Astronomische Nachrichten in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Astronomische Nachrichten is in Zone 4 of Physics & Astronomy, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Astronomy & Astrophysics. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Physics & Astronomy. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Astronomische Nachrichten?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 0.85; CiteScore 1.6, h-index 84.
How long does peer review take at Astronomische Nachrichten?
The publisher reports about 50 days (submission to acceptance); authors report an average review time of 4–8 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Easy”; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 67% (2025). Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
What are the manuscript requirements of Astronomische Nachrichten?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Keywords: ≤ 5; Reference style: Author–date; Suggested reviewers: Optional. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of Astronomische Nachrichten based?
Of the 24 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 4%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Germany (10), United States (2) and Austria (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Astronomische Nachrichten?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Astronomische Nachrichten is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Web of Science, INSPEC, CAS, zbMATH and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Astronomische Nachrichten open access, and what is the APC?
Astronomische Nachrichten is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 2,810.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-26). Last updated: .