About
For five decades, Mercury was a magazine for the membership of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP). It launched as a print bimonthly journal in January 1972 and eventually morphed into a quarterly PDF to interpret the results of astronomical research for the members of the ASP, a 501(c)3 nonprofit focused on astronomical education, astronomy outreach, and science literacy.
Mercury is still created by and published by the ASP and its mission remains the same, but the content and publication approach has further evolved. Among these pages, you will find the stories of how and where astronomy intersects with society — education, scientific research, art, culture, and history.
This website and selected content is available to anyone with internet access. Subscribers, however, can read all content, including our feature-length stories and columns from experts focusing on art, education, outreach, and history. Subscribers also help support the ASP's 135-year mission.
For more about Mercury's parent organization, see the ASP website. For more about the magazine's first five decades, visit the former Mercury landing page. Or if you'd like to access the archived PDF issues of Mercury, those published between 2007 and 2023, visit the subscriber-only archive.
We hope you enjoy the new Mercury, Mercury Editor
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Mercury is an advertisement-free publication. If you are interested in supporting Mercury, please email us.