Astronomy & Astrophysics APC and Open Access: ESO Funding, Page Charges, and How A&A Keeps Costs Low

A&A's low cost to authors isn't an accident. It's the result of a unique sponsorship structure.

How it works: A&A is sponsored by ESO (European Southern Observatory) and a consortium of national astronomical societies and research councils. ESO member states contribute funding that directly subsidizes the journal's operation. This means researchers affiliated with institutions in ESO member countries don't pay page charges at all.

ESO member states (as of 2025-2026):

Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom

ESO associate/strategic partner states: Australia, Brazil, Chile

Researchers in these countries typically have their A&A charges fully covered. The funding flows from ESO through national channels, so individual authors don't need to arrange payment.

Non-ESO countries: Authors from the US, Canada, China, Japan, India, and other non-member countries may need to pay page charges directly. However, A&A is generous with waivers and the base cost is low enough that most grants can absorb it without difficulty.

In astronomy, the practical OA picture is different from almost any other field because of arXiv. Nearly every astronomy paper is posted to arXiv before or at the time of journal submission. This means:

1. Every A&A paper is effectively open access from day one because the preprint is on arXiv.
2. Astronomers read arXiv, not journal websites. The journal version is the official record, but daily reading happens on arXiv.
3. The APC/OA question matters less in astronomy than in fields like biomedicine, where preprint culture is newer and less universal.

A&A explicitly allows arXiv posting of both preprints and accepted manuscripts. The journal's 12-month embargo (for the published version) is largely academic because everyone in the field already has access through arXiv.

This is why the OA debate in astronomy looks so different from the OA debate in medicine or biology. The infrastructure for free access already exists, and it doesn't depend on journal APCs.

Plan S compliance is straightforward for A&A authors. The rights retention strategy (posting the Author Accepted Manuscript on arXiv with a CC BY license) satisfies cOAlition S requirements. Since astronomers post to arXiv by default, most authors are already compliant without thinking about it.

NASA and NSF both accept arXiv as a valid public access repository for astronomy publications. This means US astronomers publishing in A&A don't need to worry about separate deposit requirements.

A&A publishes several article types with different cost implications:

• Research articles: Standard page charges (~$500-$800). The majority of the journal's content.

• Letters to the Editor: Shorter articles (4 pages) with proportionally lower charges. Good for rapid results.

• Special issues: Coordinated by guest editors around specific missions or surveys (e.g., Gaia, Euclid). Charges are sometimes covered by the mission's publication budget.

• Astronomical Notes: Very short communications. Minimal charges.

The Gaia and Euclid special issues deserve specific mention. These ESA missions have generated hundreds of A&A papers, and the mission consortia typically arrange bulk publication funding. If you're part of a major astronomical survey, check whether your consortium covers A&A charges.

1. A&A uses its own LaTeX class (aa.cls). The journal provides a custom LaTeX template that's different from the AAS journals' aastex class. You'll need to reformat if you're switching from ApJ to A&A. The template is available on the A&A website and on CTAN.
2. The journal was created by merging six European astronomy journals in 1969. It replaced separate national journals from France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Scandinavia. This merger is why A&A has such strong institutional support across Europe.
3. A&A's rejection rate is lower than ApJ's. A&A accepts roughly 60-65% of submitted papers, compared to approximately 50% for ApJ. This doesn't mean A&A is less rigorous. It reflects a cultural difference: European astronomers are more likely to submit to A&A when the paper is ready, while ApJ receives more speculative submissions.

If you're not affiliated with an ESO member state institution:

• Waiver requests are welcomed. A&A's editorial policy states that inability to pay will not affect editorial decisions.

• The charges are modest. Even without a waiver, $500-$800 is substantially less than most journals charge. Many institutional publication funds can cover this easily.

• Grant budgets: If you're funded by NSF, NASA, or equivalent agencies, publication costs are a standard budget line item. A&A's low charges make this simple.

• Collaborative papers: If your paper includes co-authors from ESO member states, the ESO coverage may apply based on the corresponding author's affiliation.

For astronomers choosing where to submit:

1. European institution? A&A is the default choice. ESO covers your costs, the IF is competitive, and turnaround is reasonable.
2. US institution? ApJ is the default, but A&A is a legitimate option at lower cost. You'll pay $500-$800 instead of $2,300-$3,500+.
3. Cost is the priority? MNRAS ($0) or A&A (often $0 for Europeans, ~$500-$800 otherwise). Both are top-tier.
4. OA compliance needed? ApJ is gold OA by default. A&A is effectively OA through arXiv. Either works for most funders.
5. Major survey or mission paper? Check whether your consortium has a publication agreement with A&A. Many ESA missions do.

Astronomy papers live or die on the quality of the data analysis and the clarity of the scientific argument. Regardless of which journal you choose, make sure your manuscript is tight before submission. Astronomy & Astrophysics submission readiness check to check for structural and methodological issues before you submit.

Worth paying if:

• Your funder mandates open access (check Plan S / cOAlition S requirements)
• An institutional Read & Publish agreement covers the fee
• Open access visibility meaningfully benefits your research area
• The APC fits within your grant budget

Consider alternatives if:

• The APC is a personal out-of-pocket expense
• A subscription option or green OA (preprint + embargo) satisfies your funder
• Another OA journal with a lower APC would provide similar visibility