''Mercury'' is an online quarterly

science magazine ''Science'', also widely referred to as ''Science Magazine'', is the peer-reviewed academic journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and one of the world's top academic journals. It was first published in 1880, ...

that features articles and columns about

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...

for a general audience published by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP) for its members.

History

The first issue of ''Mercury'' was published in January 1972 as a bimonthly popular journal to boost public understanding of astronomy and act as a

science communication Science communication is the practice of informing, educating, raising awareness of science-related topics, and increasing the sense of wonder about scientific discoveries and arguments. Science communicators and audiences are ambiguously def ...

platform to interpret the results of astronomical research for the nonspecialist. In 2007, the magazine was offered in printed and digital form, transitioning to all-digital the following year. ''Mercury'' continues as an ASP members-only digital publication and, as of 2019, the publicly-accessible ''Mercury Online'' companion blog was launched, featuring articles from the ''Mercury'' archives. Editors of ''Mercury'' over the years include Leon Salanave, Richard Reis,

Andrew Fraknoi Andrew Fraknoi (born 1948) is a retired professor of astronomy recognized for his lifetime of work using everyday language to make astronomy more accessible and popular for both students and the general public. In 2017 Fraknoi retired from his po ...

, Sally Stephens, James White III,

George Musser George Musser (born 1965) is a contributing editor for ''Scientific American'' magazine in New York and the author of ''The Complete Idiot’s Guide to String Theory'' and of ''Spooky Action at a Distance''. Biography Musser did his undergraduate ...

Robert Naeye Robert Naeye is an American science journalist and former magazine editor. Early life He was born in Burlington, Vermont and raised in Hershey, Pennsylvania. He currently lives just outside Hershey. His ancestry can be traced to the Flande ...

, Paul Deans, Ian O'Neill, and Liz Kruesi. ''Mercury'' has its headquarters in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

. Contributors include (as of 2019): Jennifer Birriel,

Clifford Cunningham Clifford J. Cunningham is a Canadian-Scottish professional astronomer and author of numerous books on asteroids. Biography He obtained his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Waterloo; upon enrollment, at age 15, he was the young ...

, Matthew R. Francis, C. Renee James, Brian Kruse, Arianna Long, Jason Major, Steve Murray, James Negus, M. Katy Rodriguez Wimberly, Linda Shore, Tracy Staedter,

Christopher Wanjek Christopher Wanjek is a health and science journalist and author based in the United States. Biography Wanjek received his bachelor's degree in journalism from Temple University and his master's degree from the Harvard School of Public Health. He ...

References

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External links

''Mercury'' magazine homepage
Online magazines published in the United States Quarterly magazines published in the United States Science and technology magazines published in the United States Astronomy magazines Defunct magazines published in the United States Magazines established in 1972 Magazines disestablished in 2008 Magazines published in San Francisco Online magazines with defunct print editions