Journal profile · Physics and Astronomy-Astronomy and Astrophysics
Nature Astronomy
ISSN 2397-3366 · Springer Nature · United Kingdom · 12 issues per year · Founded 2017
Nature Astronomy: CAS Zone 1 · Physics & Astronomy (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 15.01; hybrid open access; APC about USD 12,690; median 233 days to acceptance (63 articles, last 24 months); 292 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Nature Astronomy is published by Springer Nature and is in Zone 1 of Physics & Astronomy in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Astro and Planetary Science, Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies and Astronomy and Astrophysical Research, together about 33.4% of its articles. Its main subfields are Astronomy and Astrophysics. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Our robust peer-review process ensures quality, fairness and balance, and typically involves three referees. As an online-only journal, our articles are published as soon as they are ready, enabling swift dissemination across the astronomy community. Authors can expand the reach of their work by posting preprints on repositories such as arXiv or their institutional equivalents, and sharing the published PDF through our free SharedIt initiative. Our professional editorial team of PhD scientists makes all decisions and provides input on the structure, clarity and language of all articles, while our talented in-house art editors bring the figures to life visually. We work hard to ensure that your article can be easily discovered, accessed, understood, used and shared, to provide maximum impact and act as a springboard for further discovery.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Physics and Astronomy-Astronomy and Astrophysics
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 8%); most named United States 5, United Kingdom 2, Germany 2, Mainland China 1, Italy 1 (12 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Astro and Planetary SciencePhysics and Astronomy13.6%
- Stellar, planetary, and galactic studiesPhysics and Astronomy11.5%
- Astronomy and Astrophysical ResearchPhysics and Astronomy8.3%
- Astrophysics and Star Formation StudiesPhysics and Astronomy8.1%
- Planetary Science and ExplorationPhysics and Astronomy7.3%
- Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, PhenomenaPhysics and Astronomy7.1%
- Gamma-ray bursts and supernovaePhysics and Astronomy6.2%
- Astrophysical Phenomena and ObservationsPhysics and Astronomy5.3%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Physics & Astronomy Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Physics & Astronomy | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Astronomy & Astrophysics | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Physics & Astronomy Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Physics & Astronomy | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Astronomy & Astrophysics | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Physics & Astronomy Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Physics & Astronomy | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Astronomy & Astrophysics | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of SciencePublisher website
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
- 15.01LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 15.2Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 14.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 23.8LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 4.17LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.99LetPub ·
- h-index
- 6LetPub ·
- h-index
- 131OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,190OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 7.88OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 2%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 32.5%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 152LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 2,059,659Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,961 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 241 | 110 | 268 |
| 2025 | 292 | 144 | 1,958 |
| 2024 | 284 | 141 | 4,211 |
| 2023 | 298 | 140 | 6,535 |
| 2022 | 297 | 140 | 8,086 |
| 2021 | 291 | 147 | 9,722 |
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 · to
233 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 168 days – 372 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 41 days (63 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 280 days
- Sample
- 63 articles with submission and acceptance dates (614 in the window); the latest was accepted on
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Other sources
- Peer review
- Double 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 12,690 / EUR 10,690 / GBP 9,190 | — | — |
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.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
Policy excerpts from the journal's websitePeer review, Preprints
- Peer review 3 – Editorial Process, Peer Review, Appeals & Transfers
Once you have submitted your manuscript, it goes through our editorial process. If your manuscript is sent out for peer review, you will receive an email asking you to read and sign our Editorial Policies. To appeal against a decision, or transfer your submission to another journal – Appeals and Transfers. ____________________________________________________________________________________________…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints
Preprint policy and In Review Model summary
Our preprint policy – Preprint policy and In Review
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
- Springer Nature
- Country or region
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- 12 issues per year
- Founded
- 2017
- ISSN
- 2397-3366
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Nature Astronomy
What CAS zone is Nature Astronomy in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Nature Astronomy is in Zone 1 of Physics & Astronomy, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Astronomy & Astrophysics; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Physics & Astronomy. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Nature Astronomy?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 15.01; CiteScore 23.8, h-index 131.
How long does peer review take at Nature Astronomy?
Based on the dates recorded on 63 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 233 days (interquartile range 168–372 days). 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 Nature Astronomy based?
Of the 12 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 8%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (5), United Kingdom (2) and Germany (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Nature Astronomy?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Nature Astronomy is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Web of Science; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Nature Astronomy open access, and what is the APC?
Nature Astronomy is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 12,690.
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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .