Astronomy and Geophysics: The Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society

Edited by:
  • Sue Bowler
Institute of Physics Publishing. 6/yr.Europe £92, USA $161, elsewhere £102 (institutional); Europe £40, North America $70, elsewhere £45 (personal)

How can Astronomy and Geophysics (A&G) be a new journal when the initial issue announces itself to be the first of volume 38? The answer seems to be that some sleight of hand has taken place. With libraries everywhere cutting subscriptions, why not give your axe both a new head and a new handle, but insist that basically it is still the original? Certainly A&G has little inn common with its predecessor (Quarterly Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society — QJRAS), and it is really a magazine, with a striking format full of colour.

Such an attempt at legerdemain can backfire: the Royal Astronomical Society formerly received two-thirds of the costs of the QJRAS from outside subscriptions (as opposed to fellows' copies) and, although the charges remain on a par, what is to be supplied by A&G appears to bee rather less, at least in terms of volume. My inclination on receiving the first few copies was to peruse them — and then file them in the bin rather than alongside the QJRAS on my bookshelf. The problem the society faces is whether librarians worldwide will act in the same way, resulting in cancellations. I hope not. It is easy to oppose change; but sometimes you dump an Edward VIII and get a George VI instead.

In fact, this is the publication's third incarnation: the Occasional Notes of the RAS (1938-59) were superseded in 1960 by volume one of the QJRAS, reaching volume 37 in 1996, and it is that journal (coalesced with the informal RAS Newsletter of recent years) that A&G now replaces. Other society journals have had similar reincarnations; witness the history of Geophysical Journal International, as related on its inside front cover. This also explains why geophysics appears in the title of A&G, the discipline (both solid-Earth and atmospheric/space branches) having been long represented in the RAS membership, despite the society's motto, which exhorts members to study all that shines.

The contents of A&G seem to have settled down quickly: a few pages of news, a few of views, then about 20 pages of features (brief, accessible articles and reviews on specialized topics, refereed at some level and carrying reference lists), a few pages of book reviews, a bit about happenings within the RAS, a couple of obituaries, and a diary of events. Forty pages in all, including the covers. The much-longer QJRAS owed its bulk to its extensive scientific discussion papers; perhaps these will now find a home in the Monthly Notices of the RAS, which is going stronger than ever after 170 years, necessitating — despite its title — twice-monthly publication.

A&G is colour-priinted on glossy paper throughout, so impecunious authors can present the vivid graphics (so common in astronomical and geophysical work) that prohibitive page charges for most journals tend to exclude. Another attraction is speed of publication: no waiting a year or so here. But A&G must aim to bbe a journal of record, so one would hope that the several misstatements noticeable in the first issues — some trivial, but others egregious — will become less frequent as the publication matures.