Astronomy and Astrophysics (abbreviated as A&A in the astronomical literature, or else Astron. Astrophys.) is a European Journal, publishing papers on theoretical, observational and instrumental astronomy and astrophysics. It was published by Springer-Verlag from 1969-2000, while EDP Sciences published the companion A&A Supplement Series. In 2000, the two journals merged, with the combined journal known simply as Astronomy and Astrophysics, and published by EDP Sciences.

A&A is one of the major journals of astronomy, alongside the Astrophysical Journal, Astronomical Journal and the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. While the first two are often the preferred journal of US-based researchers and the MNRAS is often the favoured journal for UK- and Commonwealth-based astronomers, A&A tends to be the preferred journal of astronomers based in Europe (excluding the UK), particularly since page charges are waived for astronomers working in member countries.

A&A was created from the merger in 1969 of six major European astronomical journals

• Annales d'Astrophysique (France), founded in 1938
• Arkiv for Astronomi (Sweden), founded in 1948
• Bulletin of the Astronomical Institutes of the Netherlands, founded in 1921
• Bulletin Astronomique (France), founded in 1884
• Journal des Observateurs (France), founded in 1915
• Zeitschrift fur Astrophysik (Germany), founded in 1930

and extended in 1992 by the incorporation of:

• Bulletin of the Astronomical Institutes of Czechoslovakia, founded in 1947

External links

A&A home page

A&A Publisher's home page