The publication was founded by Stephen Walter. The first issue consisted of 48 pages, on which five articles were posted and an announcement on upcoming astronomical phenomena within a month. In 1985, the magazine was purchased by Kalmbach Publishing.

In the 2000s, a Brazilian version of the magazine called Astronomy Brasil was published. The latest release of the South American version was in September 2007.

• Stephen Walter (1973-1977)
• Richard Berry (1977-1992)
• Robert Burnham (1992-1996)
• Bonnie Gordon (1996-2002)
• David Eicher (2002)

The journal publishes articles on professional and amateur astronomy. The first half of the magazine is mainly devoted to scientific news and publications, while the second half is more focused on hobbies and hobbies. Scientific articles cover topics such as: cosmology, space exploration and many others. In each issue, you can find a map of the starry sky with the current location of the planets and some comets . There are also constant columns by individual authors: “The Universe of Bob Berman” and “O'Meara's Secret Sky by James Stephen”, which are devoted to objects of deep space , planets and comets. Glenn Chaple, in his column, The Basics of Observation, covers basic questions for newbies. In the column of Phil Harrington's “Universe through binoculars”, the issues of observation through these optical instruments are reflected. The section “Inside the telescope” publishes interviews with people who are involved in telescope engineering.

In addition, in each issue there are tips on astrophotography ^[2] . And on the pages of the publication you can find images with rare and beautiful astronomical phenomena.

Like many other magazines, there are sections "Answers to Questions", which publishes letters from readers, "News" and "Reviews of new products."

Sometimes, in the magazine you can find additional booklets. For example, a booklet with Messier catalog objects and comets.

The magazine has the largest monthly circulation of 102,752, among astronomical publications. Most readers are from the USA. The main rival is Sky & Telescope magazine with a circulation of 80023 copies.

• Amateur astronomy