Journal profile · Astronomy & Astrophysics
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
ISSN 0004-6361 · eISSN 1432-0746 · EDP Sciences · FRANCE · Weekly · Founded 1969
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS: CAS Zone 2 · Physics & Astronomy (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 6.06; diamond open access (no APC); no APC; review 1–2 weeks (community reports); community-reported acceptance: fairly easy; 4,086 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS is published by EDP Sciences and is in Zone 2 of Physics & Astronomy in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies, Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies and Astronomy and Astrophysical Research, together about 44.8% of its articles. Its main subfields are Astronomy and Astrophysics. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Astronomy & Astrophysics (A&A) is a peer-reviewed journal that publishes original research in astronomy and astrophysics. The journal is an international consortium governed by a Board of Directors. The Board sets the policies for A&A including general guidelines for publishing, the selection of the Editors, the various financial aspects, as well as membership of new countries. The mission of A&A is: Publish important original work that stimulates high-quality scientific discourse Safeguard scientific reproducibility and ethical best practices Educate early-career astronomers on scientific writing A&A is a community journal. Publication decisions are in the sole hands of the Editors who are charged with implementing a single-blind peer-reviewed process. The reviewers have an opportunity to disclose themselves if they wish. The Editors are astronomers entrusted with editorial independence, guided by the policies and decisions of the A&A Board of Directors. Detailed publication policies, and research areas, are available on the journal web pages. A&A promotes diversity and equity in science. A&A embraces open, inclusive, and fair practices that reflect the culture and values of the worldwide community of astronomers.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Astronomy & Astrophysics
Editor-in-chief Thierry ForveillePublisher website
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 1%); most named France 13, Germany 11, Spain 10, United Kingdom 9, Italy 8 (67 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Stellar, planetary, and galactic studiesPhysics and Astronomy18.1%
- Astrophysics and Star Formation StudiesPhysics and Astronomy14%
- Astronomy and Astrophysical ResearchPhysics and Astronomy12.8%
- Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, PhenomenaPhysics and Astronomy9.2%
- Astro and Planetary SciencePhysics and Astronomy7.5%
- Astrophysical Phenomena and ObservationsPhysics and Astronomy6.2%
- Gamma-ray bursts and supernovaePhysics and Astronomy5%
- Solar and Space Plasma DynamicsPhysics and Astronomy4.8%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Physics & Astronomy Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Physics & Astronomy | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Astronomy & Astrophysics | Zone 1 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Physics & Astronomy Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Physics & Astronomy | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Astronomy & Astrophysics | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Physics & Astronomy Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Physics & Astronomy | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Astronomy & Astrophysics | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
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
- 6.06LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 6.1Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 8.6LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 2.05LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.28LetPub ·
- h-index
- 257LetPub ·
- h-index
- 400OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 38,650OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 5.17OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 39.3%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 99.95%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 3,885LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 56,134 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 3,357 | 3,357 | 2,158 |
| 2025 | 4,086 | 4,086 | 17,570 |
| 2024 | 3,478 | 3,478 | 36,778 |
| 2023 | 2,382 | 2,382 | 39,803 |
| 2022 | 2,143 | 2,143 | 52,033 |
| 2021 | 2,250 | 2,246 | 58,359 |
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
- Average review time (community reports)
- 1–2 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly easyLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 12 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Single anonymous peer reviewDOAJ
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
Diamond open access (no APC)DOAJ
Every article is open access and authors pay no article processing charge.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | No APC | No | CC BY | |
| OpenAlex | EUR 1,650 | — | — |
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- EDP Sciences
- Country or region
- FRANCE
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Weekly
- Founded
- 1969
- ISSN
- 0004-6361
- Electronic ISSN
- 1432-0746
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗DOAJ
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗DOAJ
- Aims & Scope ↗DOAJ
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗DOAJ
- Editorial board ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
What CAS zone is ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS is in Zone 2 of Physics & Astronomy, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Astronomy & Astrophysics. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Physics & Astronomy. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 6.06; CiteScore 8.6, h-index 400.
How long does peer review take at ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS?
Authors report an average review time of 1–2 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Fairly easy”. 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.
Where are the editorial board members of ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS based?
Of the 67 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 1%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are France (13), Germany (11) and Spain (10). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS is indexed in SCIE, Scopus and DOAJ.
Is ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS open access, and what is the APC?
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS is a diamond open-access journal (no APC). It charges no article processing charge.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website, DOAJ; 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: .