Useful tools for astronomers

Journals and academic papers

Find all of your research papers here!

• arXiv e-print archive: find (free, non-paywalled) preprints of journal papers! (“arXiv” pronounced as “archive”)

• arXiv vanity: renders arXiv PDFs as webpages for accessibility

• NASA Astrophysics Data System: search for papers

• Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics: review papers to start your own literature search

• MNRAS, ApJ, A&A: the three major astronomy journals

Institutes and Societies

Often a reduced membership fee for students, and can come with some sweet perks like reduced conference registration fees and scholarships!

• The Institute of Physics (IOP; UK)

• American Institute of Physics (AIP; US)

• Australian Institute of Physics (AIP, Aus)

• American Astronomical Society (AAS; US)

• International Astronomical Union (IAU)

• Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP)

• Astronomical Society of Australia (ASA; Aus)

• Royal Astronomical Society (RAS; UK)

• European Space Agency (ESA)

Job Postings

Almost all astronomy and astronomy-aligned (e.g. observatory work) jobs are posted to the AAS, with the main hiring round starting in ~September of each year and offers made through to January of the following year. But make sure to check periodically at other times, as some countries (looking at you, Australia) have different hiring seasons!

• AAS Jobs Register: effectively all postdoctoral and permanent research positions in astronomy around the world, plus support positions within observatories

• physicsworld job feed: a mix of academic and industry positions

• Astrophysics Jobs Rumour Mill: find out if that job you applied to has already made offers! Use with caution—people lie on the internet!

Astronomical databases and surveys

• SIMBAD Astronomical Database

• The VLA FIRST Survey

• The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS)

• Gaia

• VizieR Service

• NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database (NED)

• Canadian Astronomy Data Centre (CADC)