Journal profile · Astronomy & Astrophysics
Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
ISSN 0004-6280 · eISSN 1538-3873 · Institute of Physics Publishing · UNITED STATES · Monthly · Founded 1889
Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific: CAS Zone 4 · Physics & Astronomy (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 5.9; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,325; median 62 days to acceptance (122 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: moderate; 187 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific is published by Institute of Physics Publishing 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 Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies, Astronomy and Astrophysical Research and History and Developments in Astronomy, together about 43.2% of its articles. Its main subfields are Astronomy and Astrophysics. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (PASP), the technical journal of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP), has been published regularly since 1889, and is an integral part of the ASP's mission to advance the science of astronomy and disseminate astronomical information. The journal provides an outlet for astronomical results of a scientific nature and serves to keep readers in touch with current astronomical research. It contains refereed research and instrumentation articles, invited and contributed reviews, tutorials, and dissertation summaries.
Source: LetPub
Research area (LetPub): Astronomy & Astrophysics
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Stellar, planetary, and galactic studiesPhysics and Astronomy19%
- Astronomy and Astrophysical ResearchPhysics and Astronomy14.3%
- History and Developments in AstronomyPhysics and Astronomy9.9%
- Astronomical Observations and InstrumentationEngineering9.4%
- Astro and Planetary SciencePhysics and Astronomy8.7%
- Astrophysics and Star Formation StudiesPhysics and Astronomy5.7%
- Adaptive optics and wavefront sensingPhysics and Astronomy3.6%
- Gamma-ray bursts and supernovaePhysics and Astronomy3.3%
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 3 |
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 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Physics & Astronomy Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Physics & Astronomy | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Astronomy & Astrophysics | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
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
- 5.9LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 10LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 2.49LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.59LetPub ·
- h-index
- 136LetPub ·
- h-index
- 236OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 4,278OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.82OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 4.4%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 63.79%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 185LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 18,645 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 219 | 185 | 100 |
| 2025 | 187 | 143 | 464 |
| 2024 | 118 | 93 | 915 |
| 2023 | 119 | 101 | 3,369 |
| 2022 | 126 | 122 | 2,880 |
| 2021 | 91 | 87 | 886 |
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
62 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 47 days – 92 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 21 days (122 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 86 days
- Sample
- 122 articles with submission and acceptance dates (422 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
- Average review time (community reports)
- 4–8 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- ModerateLetPub ·
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 3,325 / EUR 2,765 / GBP 2,410 | — | — |
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
- Institute of Physics Publishing
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 1889
- ISSN
- 0004-6280
- Electronic ISSN
- 1538-3873
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗LetPub
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
What CAS zone is Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific is in Zone 4 of Physics & Astronomy, and in Zone 3 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 Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 5.9; CiteScore 10, h-index 236.
How long does peer review take at Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific?
Based on the dates recorded on 122 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 62 days (interquartile range 47–92 days); authors report an average review time of 4–8 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Moderate”. 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 Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific open access, and what is the APC?
Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,325.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, 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 2026-08-24). Last updated: .