Astronomical Journal

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Astronomical Journal is a monthly scientific journal published by Institute of Physics Publishing on behalf of the American Astronomical Society. It is one of the premier journals for astronomy in the world. The Astronomical Journal is often abbreviated AJ in scientific papers and references. Until 2008, the journal was published by the University of Chicago Press on behalf of the American Astronomical Society.^[1] The reason for the changes were given by the Society as the desire of the Press to revise its financial arrangement and the plans of the Press to change from the particular software that had been developed in-house by the Press. The other two publications of the society, the Astrophysical Journal and its supplement series, will follow in January 2009.^[2]

This journal was founded in 1849 by Benjamin A. Gould; he ceased publication in 1861 due to the American Civil War, but resumed it in 1885. Between 1909 and 1941 the journal was edited in Albany, New York. In 1941 the editor Benjamin Boss arranged to transfer responsibility for the journal to the American Astronomical Society.

The first electronic edition of the Astronomical Journal was published in January, 1998. With the July, 2006 issue, The Astronomical Journal began e-first publication, an electronic version of the journal released independently of the hardcopy issues. Its current Editor-in-Chief is John Gallagher III of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The Associate Editor-in-Chief is Margaret M. Hanson of the University of Cincinnati.