Astronomical Journal

The Astronomical Journal is a monthly astronomy journal owned by the American Astronomical Society and published on its behalf by IOP Publishing, founded in 1849 and carrying observational and theoretical work across the discipline, with a 2025 Journal Impact Factor of 5.8.《天文学杂志》（Astronomical Journal）由（American Astronomical Society）拥有并委托（IOP Publishing）出版，1849 年创刊，为月刊，刊载贯穿整个学科的天文观测与理论研究，2025 年期刊影响因子为 5.8。

Scope

• Solar system science is a long-standing strength, including planetary observations, orbital dynamics and celestial mechanics.太阳系科学是长期强项，涵盖行星观测、轨道动力学与天体力学。
• Exoplanet discovery and characterisation, together with stellar astrophysics, form a second large area of coverage.系外行星的发现与刻画，连同恒星天体物理学，构成第二个主要覆盖领域。
• Interstellar matter, star formation and the structure of the local universe are treated in both survey and targeted studies.星际物质、恒星形成与本地宇宙结构，在巡天与定点观测两类研究中均有涉及。
• Galaxies, active galactic nuclei and observational cosmology appear regularly, often through large survey programmes.星系、活动星系核与观测宇宙学经常出现，且多经由大型巡天计划产生。
• Papers on data capture, survey design, astrostatistics and analysis techniques are accepted in their own right, not only as supporting material.关于数据获取、巡天设计、天文统计与分析技术的论文可独立发表，而非仅作辅助材料。
• Instrumentation, software and laboratory astrophysics, and the theoretical models used to interpret observations, complete the scope.仪器、软件与实验室天体物理学，以及用于解释观测的理论模型，构成本刊完整的收稿范围。

History

• The journal was founded in 1849 by Benjamin Apthorp Gould, making it one of the oldest astronomical periodicals still publishing.本刊由 Benjamin Apthorp Gould 于 1849 年创办，是仍在出版的最古老的天文学期刊之一。
• Publication stopped in 1861 when the American Civil War interrupted the enterprise, and Gould revived the title in 1885.1861 年因美国内战中断出版，1885 年由 Gould 复刊。
• Between 1909 and 1941 it was edited in Albany, New York, by Lewis Boss and then Benjamin Boss, who arranged the transfer of responsibility to the American Astronomical Society in 1941.1909 至 1941 年间在纽约州奥尔巴尼编辑，先后由 Lewis Boss 与 Benjamin Boss 主持，后者于 1941 年促成主办权移交（American Astronomical Society）。
• The first electronic edition appeared in January 1998 and e-first publication began with the July 2006 issue, while the University of Chicago Press handled the journal until 2008.1998 年 1 月推出首个电子版，2006 年 7 月号起实行先于纸本的电子预出版，此前一直由（University of Chicago Press）出版至 2008 年。
• Publication moved to IOP Publishing in 2008, and on 1 January 2022 the AAS journals became fully gold open access under a Creative Commons Attribution licence, with the whole archive freed.2008 年转由（IOP Publishing）出版，2022 年 1 月 1 日起（AAS）系列期刊全面转为金色开放获取，采用知识共享署名许可，全部过刊同时开放。
• The 2025 Journal Impact Factor is 5.8, against 5.1 in 2024, 5.491 in 2022 and 6.263 in 2021, ranking 17th of 86 titles in astronomy and astrophysics.2025 年期刊影响因子为 5.8，2024 年为 5.1，2022 年为 5.491，2021 年为 6.263，在天文学与天体物理学类 86 种期刊中列第 17 位。

Editors

• Ethan Vishniac of Johns Hopkins University is editor-in-chief of all AAS journals, a post he has held since 2016, and works on magnetic fields in accretion discs, stars and galaxies.约翰斯·霍普金斯大学的 Ethan Vishniac 自 2016 年起担任（AAS）全部期刊的主编，研究吸积盘、恒星与星系中的磁场。
• Frank Timmes of Arizona State University serves as associate editor-in-chief and coordinates editorial work across the portfolio.亚利桑那州立大学的 Frank Timmes 任副主编，协调整个期刊群的编辑事务。
• Manuscripts are routed through six subject corridors, led respectively by Steve Kawaler for stars, Michael Endl for the solar system and exoplanets, and Shadia Habbal for the Sun and heliosphere.稿件按六个学科走廊分送，分别由 Steve Kawaler 负责恒星、Michael Endl 负责太阳系与系外行星、Shadia Habbal 负责太阳与日球层。
• Giovanni Carraro covers the interstellar medium and local universe, Christopher Conselice galaxies and cosmology, and Chris Lintott laboratory astrophysics, instrumentation and software.Giovanni Carraro 负责星际介质与本地宇宙，Christopher Conselice 负责星系与宇宙学，Chris Lintott 负责实验室天体物理学、仪器与软件。
• The board extends beyond the corridors to more than fifty PhD scientists, among them editors at Padova, Manchester, Peking University, Sheffield, Oxford, Geneva and the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy.编委会在走廊之外还扩展到五十余位博士科学家，包括帕多瓦、曼彻斯特、北京大学、谢菲尔德、牛津、日内瓦与马普天文研究所的编辑。
• Each paper is assigned to a scientific editor with matching expertise who selects referees, and the journals require machine-readable tables and the data behind figures, while the society has run an open search for its next editor in chief.每篇论文分配给方向相符的科学编辑并由其遴选评审人，期刊要求提供机器可读表格与图件背后的数据，学会亦已公开招募下一任主编。