Journal rankings · indicator year 2017
Choose a field to open its ranking, or a journal to find its row in its subfield’s list.
Subfield ranking · 2017
Astronomy and Astrophysics journal rankings 2017
106 ranked journals · Subfield in Physics and Astronomy
Astronomy and Astrophysics has 106 ranked journals in 2017. The median journal has an OJR of 0.49, below the world average of 1.00, up 0.03 on 2016; Q1 starts at OJR 1.17. The top three are The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, Space Science Reviews, and The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
Ranks and citation indicators: 2017. Journal access status and listed APC: source snapshot September 23, 2026.
Journals whose main subfield sits in this category and that published at least 30 citable documents (articles, reviews and conference papers) in 2014–2016, the window the 2017 score is computed on.
The OpenJournalRank Indicator (OJR) is a free, publicly available metric of a journal’s field-normalized citation impact, computed from open OpenAlex citation data. It compares citations to a journal’s papers from the previous three years with the world average for papers of the same subfield, year and type, so 1.00 is the world average and values can be compared across fields. It is computed with the NCI3 method.
The middle OJR among ranked journals in this category: half score higher, half lower. 1.00 is the world average for papers of the same subfield, year and type.
The dot is this category, the solid tick is the median of all ranked journals and the dashed line is the world average.
Share of ranked journals in this category that are fully open access, so every paper is free to read. Hybrid journals, which sell subscriptions and open single papers for a fee, are not counted.
Median list price of the article processing charge, in US dollars, among ranked journals in this category that list a price above zero. Journals with a listed APC of $0 and journals with no known price are left out of this median. The At a glance table below gives a second median that includes the $0 prices.
Subfields of Physics and Astronomy (8)
106 ranked journals
Filters
Rank is the position by OJR within the list on screen; 1 is the highest. | OJR is field-normalized 3-year citation impact: 1.00 is the world average for papers of the same subfield, year and type, so values compare across fields. The badge is the journal’s quartile in this list. | Citations per paper over a two-year window, counted from OpenAlex. It is not field-normalized, so compare it only between journals of the same field. ▲ or ▼ is the change from 2016. This is OpenJournalRank’s own count, not Clarivate’s Journal Impact Factor. | Citable documents (articles, reviews and conference papers) published in 2014–2016, the window the 2017 OJR is computed on. A journal needs at least 30 to be ranked. | Share of the journal’s 2014–2016 papers that are free to read in any open-access form. The green OA tag next to a title marks a fully open-access journal. | List price of the article processing charge in US dollars. “$0 listed” means the listed price is zero; a dash means no price is listed. | The line is the journal’s OJR from 2008 to 2017. | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1The Astrophysical Journal Supplement SeriesOAInstitute of Physics · United Kingdom | 4.83Q1 | 9.41 1.08 down from 2016 | 555 | 99% | $4,499 | ||
2Space Science ReviewsSpringer Science+Business Media · Netherlands | 4.39Q1 | 8.29 0.67 up from 2016 | 268 | 72% | $5,290 | ||
3The Astrophysical Journal LettersOAIOP Publishing · United Kingdom | 3.32Q1 | 7.55 1.05 up from 2016 | 1,839 | 100% | $2,400 | ||
4Reviews in Mineralogy and GeochemistryMineralogical Society of America · United States | 3.28Q1 | 8.68 3.85 up from 2016 | 64 | 16% | — | ||
5Physics of the Dark UniverseElsevier BV · Netherlands | 2.47Q1 | 5.47 0.34 down from 2016 | 99 | 73% | $3,660 | ||
6Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society LettersOxford University Press · United Kingdom | 2.40Q1 | 5.22 0.15 up from 2016 | 658 | 99% | $1,451 | ||
7Publications of the Astronomical Society of AustraliaCambridge University Press · Australia | 2.29Q1 | 5.11 0.28 down from 2016 | 157 | 100% | $3,550 | ||
8Annual Review of Astronomy and AstrophysicsAnnual Reviews · United States | 2.18Q1 | 27.56 10.22 down from 2016 | 50 | 73% | — | ||
9Astronomy and AstrophysicsOAEDP Sciences · France | 2.14Q1 | 5.71 0.11 up from 2016 | 5,533 | 100% | $1,865 | ||
10Earth and Space ScienceOAAmerican Geophysical Union · United States | 2.12Q1 | 3.83 0.97 up from 2016 | 79 | 100% | $2,650 | ||
11The Astrophysical JournalOAIOP Publishing · United Kingdom | 2.10Q1 | 5.90 0.35 down from 2016 | 8,710 | 100% | $4,499 | ||
12Publications of the Astronomical Society of the PacificInstitute of Physics · United Kingdom | 2.09Q1 | 3.57 1.13 down from 2016 | 330 | 99% | $3,325 | ||
13Journal of Space Weather and Space ClimateOAEDP Open · France | 2.05Q1 | 3.06 0.91 down from 2016 | 118 | 100% | $1,413 | ||
14Journal of Geophysical Research PlanetsWiley · United States | 1.95Q1 | 4.24 0.21 down from 2016 | 383 | 60% | $4,070 | ||
15The Astronomical JournalOAInstitute of Physics · United States | 1.83Q1 | 4.30 0.04 down from 2016 | 1,100 | 100% | $4,499 | ||
16Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical SocietyOAOxford University Press · United Kingdom | 1.64Q1 | 5.34 0.32 down from 2016 | 9,217 | 94% | $3,046 | ||
17AstrobiologyMary Ann Liebert, Inc. · United States | 1.62Q1 | 4.17 1.26 up from 2016 | 216 | 60% | — | ||
18Journal of High Energy AstrophysicsElsevier BV · Netherlands | 1.58Q1 | 2.55 1.32 down from 2016 | 50 | 100% | $2,520 | ||
19Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle PhysicsInstitute of Physics · United Kingdom | 1.58Q1 | 4.65 0.40 down from 2016 | 2,044 | 100% | $3,290 | ||
20UniverseOAMultidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute · Switzerland | 1.49Q1 | 3.12 0.27 down from 2016 | 51 | 100% | $1,930 | ||
21Astronomy and ComputingElsevier BV · Netherlands | 1.49Q1 | 2.69 0.25 up from 2016 | 142 | 65% | $2,260 | ||
22Journal of Astronomical Telescopes Instruments and SystemsSPIE · United States | 1.48Q1 | 2.18 1.11 down from 2016 | 117 | 71% | — | ||
23Classical and Quantum GravityIOP Publishing · United Kingdom | 1.43Q1 | 3.20 0.04 down from 2016 | 1,246 | 96% | $3,325 | ||
24Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical AstronomySpringer Science+Business Media · Netherlands | 1.41Q1 | 1.87 0.13 down from 2016 | 213 | 65% | $3,190 | ||
25IcarusElsevier BV · United States | 1.39Q1 | 3.36 0.19 up from 2016 | 1,457 | 47% | $3,810 | ||
26Solar PhysicsSpringer Science+Business Media · Netherlands | 1.36Q1 | 2.90 0.21 down from 2016 | 547 | 62% | $4,190 | ||
27Experimental AstronomySpringer Science+Business Media · Netherlands | 1.17Q1 | 1.80 0.81 down from 2016 | 144 | 62% | $2,590 | ||
28Space WeatherOAAmerican Geophysical Union · United States | 1.07Q2 | 2.92 0.38 up from 2016 | 259 | 51% | $3,000 | ||
29Planetary and Space ScienceElsevier BV · United Kingdom | 1.05Q2 | 2.06 0.03 up from 2016 | 594 | 37% | $3,680 | ||
30Advances in Space ResearchElsevier BV · United Kingdom | 1.04Q2 | 1.70 0.05 down from 2016 | 1,363 | 24% | $2,780 | ||
31International Journal of Modern Physics DWorld Scientific · Singapore | 1.04Q2 | 2.11 0.57 down from 2016 | 697 | 67% | — | ||
32Fortschritte der PhysikWiley · Germany | 1.04Q2 | 2.14 0.21 down from 2016 | 212 | 64% | $3,460 | ||
33International Journal of AstrobiologyCambridge University Press · United Kingdom | 0.93Q2 | 1.28 0.43 down from 2016 | 166 | 57% | $3,550 | ||
34Annales GeophysicaeOACopernicus Publications · Germany | 0.90Q2 | 1.95 0.03 down from 2016 | 369 | 100% | $1,186 | ||
35Journal of Geophysical Research Space PhysicsWiley · United States | 0.88Q2 | 3.06 0.16 down from 2016 | 2,390 | 61% | $4,070 | ||
36Frontiers in Astronomy and Space SciencesOAFrontiers Media · Switzerland | 0.88Q2 | 1.59 0.81 up from 2016 | 38 | 100% | $2,353 | ||
37Publications of the Astronomical Society of JapanOxford University Press · United Kingdom | 0.88Q2 | 2.21 0.15 up from 2016 | 504 | 86% | $2,398 | ||
38General Relativity and GravitationSpringer Science+Business Media · Netherlands | 0.87Q2 | 1.80 0.08 up from 2016 | 511 | 76% | $2,290 | ||
39Radio ScienceWiley · United States | 0.86Q2 | 1.56 0.36 down from 2016 | 368 | 46% | $3,700 | ||
40Meteoritics and Planetary ScienceWiley · United States | 0.85Q2 | 2.00 0.03 up from 2016 | 491 | 62% | $3,300 | ||
41Geoscientific instrumentation, methods and data systemsOACopernicus Publications · Germany | 0.81Q2 | 1.51 0.07 up from 2016 | 90 | 100% | $1,035 | ||
42Journal of Astronomical InstrumentationWorld Scientific · Singapore | 0.81Q2 | 1.63 0.91 down from 2016 | 63 | 52% | — | ||
43Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial PhysicsElsevier BV · United Kingdom | 0.80Q2 | 1.74 0.31 up from 2016 | 604 | 38% | $2,770 | ||
44Astrophysics and Space ScienceSpringer Science+Business Media · Netherlands | 0.79Q2 | 1.85 0.12 up from 2016 | 1,219 | 37% | $3,490 | ||
45Origins of Life and Evolution of BiospheresSpringer Science+Business Media · Netherlands | 0.74Q2 | 1.52 0.32 up from 2016 | 153 | 65% | $1,520 | ||
46Advances in AstronomyOAHindawi Publishing Corporation · United Kingdom | 0.72Q2 | 1.52 0.64 up from 2016 | 59 | 100% | $1,130 | ||
47GalaxiesOAMultidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute · Switzerland | 0.68Q2 | 1.13 1.07 down from 2016 | 117 | 100% | $1,689 | ||
48Journal of The Korean Astronomical SocietyOAKorean Astronomical Society · South Korea | 0.62Q2 | 1.50 0.32 up from 2016 | 98 | 100% | — | ||
49Modern Physics Letters AWorld Scientific · Singapore | 0.57Q2 | 1.30 0.02 up from 2016 | 854 | 65% | — | ||
50Research in Astronomy and AstrophysicsIOP Publishing · China | 0.56Q2 | 0.86 0.64 down from 2016 | 568 | 94% | — |
Subfields of Physics and Astronomy, with Astronomy and Astrophysics highlighted.
- Astronomy and Astrophysics106
- Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics91
- Nuclear and High Energy Physics71
- Statistical and Nonlinear Physics43
- Radiation25
- Condensed Matter Physics7
- Acoustics and Ultrasonics0
- Instrumentation0
Journals
Citations made in 2017. Corpus-wide, 77.7% of core-journal articles and reviews published that year have at least one matched reference; the share varies by journal and field.
37 additional Astronomy and Astrophysics journals with metrics are unranked under this release’s eligibility rules: a journal needs at least 30 citable documents in 2014–2016, at least 80% of them with a subfield, and a positive world-average expectation. Ranks are within the whole category; filters hide rows without re-ranking. OJR excludes self-citations.
At a glance
Indicator year: 2017. Publication window: 2014–2016. How these summaries are calculated
- Ranked journals
- 106
- Window papers (baseline)
- 101,058 +7.8% from indicator year 2014
- Median OJR
- 0.49 +33.9% from indicator year 2014
- Rising journals (2025)
- 7
Window papers are the baseline paper population: citable papers (articles, reviews and conference papers) from 2014–2016 in all journals of the world-average baseline, including non-core journals, counted by each paper’s own subfield. They are not the papers of the ranked journals alone.
| Measure | Year series | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ranked journals | 62 | 63 | 62 | 68 | 70 | 74 | 74 | 76 | 78 | 78 | 82 | 91 | 94 | 99 | 102 | 102 | 107 | 106 | 108 | 116 | 119 | 117 | 111 | 110 | 109 | 107 | |
| Window papers (baseline) | 49,871 | 52,213 | 55,700 | 60,437 | 65,920 | 70,690 | 73,394 | 77,611 | 78,966 | 83,523 | 84,714 | 89,298 | 90,669 | 93,523 | 93,711 | 96,932 | 98,375 | 101,058 | 100,696 | 101,399 | 101,729 | 100,324 | 97,739 | 94,651 | 92,261 | 91,149 | |
| Median OJR | 0.385 | 0.41 | 0.526 | 0.386 | 0.44 | 0.455 | 0.529 | 0.52 | 0.48 | 0.567 | 0.525 | 0.505 | 0.50 | 0.38 | 0.36 | 0.451 | 0.454 | 0.49 | 0.513 | 0.54 | 0.585 | 0.616 | 0.56 | 0.617 | 0.565 | 0.590 |
How to read these rankings
- OJR, the OpenJournalRank Indicator
- A field-normalized 3-year citation impact, computed from OpenAlex with the NCI3 method. It divides the citations a journal’s papers received by the world average for papers of the same subfield, year and type, so 1.00 is the world average and 2.00 means twice as many citations as expected. Because it is normalized, it can be compared across fields. Read the methodology
- Quartiles
- Q1 to Q4 split the ranked journals of the list you are viewing into four equal groups by OJR. A journal’s quartile depends on the list: the same journal can be Q1 in its subfield and Q2 among all journals.
- Impact factor (2-year)
- Citations per paper over a two-year window, counted from OpenAlex. It is easy to compare with familiar impact factors but is not field-normalized, so compare it only within a field. It is not Clarivate’s Journal Impact Factor. Why it differs from the Journal Impact Factor
- Rank ranges
- Each rank in the latest year carries a likely range from 1,000 resamples of the journal’s papers. Where two journals’ ranges overlap, the data cannot tell them apart, so treat neighbouring ranks as ties.