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For decades, the Astrophysics Data System (ADS) has been part of the daily research lives of astronomers around the world. And, on 16th November 2026, that story enters its next chapter, as ADS users transition to the astrophysics version of Science Explorer (SciX) and more.

We know that changing a research tool you know, trust, and perhaps use every day can feel like a big step. So, rather than simply pointing you towards SciX and leaving you to find your way around, we are going to be here to help.

In fact, we are going to be here around the clock.

The SciX Transition Marathon

Ahead of November’s transition day, the ADS/SciX team will be running four weeks of online office hours, designed specifically for existing ADS users making the move to SciX.

And when we say everyone is welcome, we really mean it.

Across the four-week program, our office hours cover every hour of the 24-hour clock at least once, giving our global astronomy community an opportunity to join us at a time that works for you, wherever in the world you happen to be.

No expectations. You do not need to arrive with a problem, or even a question. Drop in any time to one (or more) of our two-hour sessions to explore SciX with us, bring along an ADS workflow that you would like to recreate, ask us where your favorite feature has gone, get help with something unfamiliar, or simply spend a little time getting comfortable with the new interface before 16 November. We will record each session so that every participant can access and review the recording of their session.

Think of it as a month-long, round-the-world SciX transition marathon. We will bring the SciX expertise. You bring the questions - if you want to.

Familiar foundations, with more to explore

The move to SciX is an evolution of the service astronomers already know. SciX is built on the foundation of ADS, preserving the search capabilities and research infrastructure on which the astronomy community relies, while expanding the discovery capabilities across astrophysics, heliophysics, planetary science, and Earth science.

Experienced ADS users should therefore find plenty that feels familiar. However, old hands should also explore the enhancements, including improved accessibility, an interface that adapts more easily to mobile devices, searchable filters, and quick copy-and-paste citations.

The broader SciX collections also open new possibilities for interdisciplinary discovery. Astronomers can continue to focus searches on astronomy and physics, while having the option to follow a research question into neighboring disciplines when useful - so whether that means connecting exoplanet atmospheres with planetary and Earth science, astrophysical plasma with heliophysics, or astronomical instrumentation with applications elsewhere in SciX’s broad coverage, SciX makes it easier to follow the science beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries.

What do I need to do before November 16?

For most ADS users, remarkably little:

• Your existing ADS account works with SciX. Sign in using the same credentials and your libraries, notifications, and custom settings will continue with you.
• The ADS/SciX team will redirect links to ADS resources to the appropriate location in SciX. If you have links to ADS scattered through papers, documentation, websites, bookmarks or research workflows, those will continue to work.
• If you use the ADS API, SciX does as well. Everything you have built with the API will continue to work.
• You should start exploring before transition day, too, in case you have questions. All ADS pages include a “View page in SciX” link at the bottom of the screen, making it easy to compare the experience and start becoming familiar with SciX while continuing to work as usual.

In other words, 16th November should not feel like starting again. It is about bringing the things that have made ADS so valuable into an expanded research environment, while making the transition itself as seamless as possible.

Want to know more about why we're making the move?

We have also been looking closely at what this evolution means specifically for astronomy.

Our new paper, “Transitioning from ADS to SciX to Serve 21st Century Astronomy,” by Jennifer Lynn Bartlett, Suze Kundu, Alberto Accomazzi, and Michael J. Kurtz, examines how SciX preserves the trusted ADS experience while broadening the research landscape available to astronomers. Nature Astronomy accepted the paper and plans to publish it in October; meanwhile, a preliminary version is already available on arXiv.

Join the ADS/SciX Transition Community

ADS has supported generations of astronomical discovery, and the move to SciX builds on that extraordinary legacy. We want the astronomy community to feel supported throughout that evolution, not only on 16th November, but during the weeks leading up to it and beyond.

So join us for the SciX Transition Marathon. Come for ten minutes or stay for the whole session. Bring us a complicated search query, an old workflow, a favorite ADS feature, something you cannot quite figure out, or just your curiosity.

Across four weeks, we’ll be traveling through every hour of the global research day.