By combining ORCID iDs with publication data at ADS I have created a directory of researchers who are active in solar and heliospheric physics (SHP). The directory is available at the HelioIndex website (https://helioindex.org) where you will also find derived data such as the list of countries where SHP is performed, lists of the most-cited journal articles, and a list of the most commonly used journals. HelioIndex is updated automatically through software procedures, and updates are performed each month on the 8th and 22nd.
Some statistics from the current version of HelioIndex: there are 2097 authors distributed over 61 countries; 28% of authors work in the US and 14% in China; NASA Goddard Space Flight Center is the institute with the largest number of authors (63); 57% of authors are assigned to solar physics, and 28% to heliospheric physics, the remainder working in both areas; and 43% of HelioIndex authors’ 2024 articles were published in The Astrophysical Journal.
Further details on how HelioIndex is created and the criteria for inclusion are given in the article P.R. Young (2025, Solar Physics, 300, 77).
Please send any feedback to me at [email protected], although please first check the FAQ section of the website for answers to some common questions.