Icarus is a premier scientific journal dedicated to the field of planetary science. It is published under the auspices of the American Astronomical Society s Division for Planetary Sciences (DPS). The longtime publisher was Academic Press, which is now part of Elsevier. The journal contains articles discussing the results of new research on astronomy, geology, meteorology, physics, chemistry, biology, and other scientific aspects of the Solar System or extrasolar systems. The journal was founded in 1962, and became affiliated with the DPS in 1974. The late Carl Sagan served as editor of the journal from 1968 to 1979. He was succeeded by Joseph A. Burns (1980–1997) and Philip D. Nicholson (1998–present). The journal is named for the mythical Icarus, and the frontispiece of every issue contains an extended quotation from Sir Arthur Eddington equating Icarus adventurousness with the scientific investigator who "strains his theories to the breaking-point till the weak joints gape."
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Country
- United States
- History
- 1962–present
- Website
- http://icarus.cornell.edu/
- Impact factor
- 3.813 (2011)
