Journal profile · History & Philosophy Of Science
Journal for the History of Astronomy
ISSN 0021-8286 · eISSN 1753-8556 · SAGE Publications Inc. · ENGLAND · Quarterly
Journal for the History of Astronomy: CAS Zone 3 · Philosophy (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 0.92; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,650; review over 12 weeks (community reports); community-reported acceptance: easy; 54 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE, AHCI and Scopus; the journal's website says it has moved to a new publisher.
The journal's website says it has moved to a new publisher: The journal is now published by Sage. EDITOR (up until 2013) Michael Hoskin St Edmund’s College Cambridge CB3 0BN UK Tel: 01223 840284 Email: michael.hoskin@ntlworld.com Editor's web site: www.michaelhoskin.com Source ↗Publisher website ·
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal for the History of Astronomy is published by SAGE Publications Inc. and is in Zone 3 of Philosophy in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are History of Science and Medicine, Historical Astronomy and Related Studies and History and Developments in Astronomy, together about 48.3% of its articles. Its main subfields are History and Philosophy of Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
JOURNAL FOR THE HISTORY OF ASTRONOMY was founded in 1970 and is the only journal devoted to the history of astronomy from earliest times to the present, and to history in the service of astronomy. Its subject matter extends to such allied fields as the history of the relevant branches of mathematics and physics, and the use of historical records in the service of astronomy.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): History & Philosophy Of Science
Editor-in-chief Michael HoskinPublisher website
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- History of Science and MedicineArts and Humanities17%
- Historical Astronomy and Related StudiesPhysics and Astronomy15.7%
- History and Developments in AstronomyPhysics and Astronomy15.6%
- Diverse Historical and Scientific StudiesArts and Humanities11.5%
- Historical and Architectural StudiesArts and Humanities4.8%
- Historical, Religious, and Philosophical StudiesArts and Humanities4.4%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance4.3%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering4.1%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Philosophy Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Philosophy | Zone 3 |
| Minor | History & Philosophy Of Science | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Philosophy Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Philosophy | Zone 3 |
| Minor | History & Philosophy Of Science | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Philosophy Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Philosophy | Zone 3 |
| Minor | History & Philosophy Of Science | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEAHCIScopusLetPub
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
- 0.92LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 1.1LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.24LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0LetPub ·
- h-index
- 15LetPub ·
- h-index
- 41OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 354OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.13OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 11.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 31.03%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 21LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 3,234 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 21 | 4 | 0 |
| 2025 | 54 | 19 | 5 |
| 2024 | 30 | 17 | 9 |
| 2023 | 41 | 12 | 69 |
| 2022 | 44 | 11 | 59 |
| 2021 | 43 | 12 | 82 |
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)
- over 12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
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 3,650 / GBP 2,676 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
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
- SAGE Publications Inc.
- Country or region
- ENGLAND
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- ISSN
- 0021-8286
- Electronic ISSN
- 1753-8556
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗LetPub
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal for the History of Astronomy
What CAS zone is Journal for the History of Astronomy in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal for the History of Astronomy is in Zone 3 of Philosophy, and in Zone 3 of the minor category History & Philosophy Of Science. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Philosophy. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Journal for the History of Astronomy?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 0.92; CiteScore 1.1, h-index 41.
How long does peer review take at Journal for the History of Astronomy?
Authors report an average review time of over 12 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “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.
Which databases index Journal for the History of Astronomy?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal for the History of Astronomy is indexed in SCIE, AHCI and Scopus.
Is Journal for the History of Astronomy open access, and what is the APC?
Journal for the History of Astronomy is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,650.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website; 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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .