Abidjan Stargazing & Astronomy Report

Light pollution and stargazing locations near Abidjan

City
Abidjan
Country
CĂ´te d'Ivoire
Latitude
5.3600
Longitude
-4.0083

Key Sky Quality Metrics

SQM (mag/arcsec²)
18.25
Bortle class
Class 8 (Class 8)
Darkness Quotient
25%
Dataset
April 2026

City sky

Abidjan: The Practical Verdict

Abidjan, located on the southern coast of CĂ´te d'Ivoire, is a sprawling metropolitan hub and the country's largest city. For astronomy enthusiasts, the urban sky quality is compromised by significant light pollution, making it a challenging location for stargazing.

The naked-eye view from Abidjan is starkly limited to the brightest stars, the Moon, and planets. Major constellations are faint, and the Milky Way is entirely obscured by the city's skyglow. With a Darkness Quotient of 25%, Abidjan's heavens fall into the high light pollution tier, classified as Bortle Class 8.

Planetary observation remains feasible due to the inherent brightness of planets, although turbulence and heat currents can affect views. For a substantially better experience with deep-sky objects and sharper imaging conditions, heading west around 50 kilometres opens up noticeably improved skies, while truly dark locations lie further afield.

The light pollution map centred on Abidjan reveals the extensive skyglow associated with this major urban area. The city’s intense brightness spreads across considerable distances, affecting visibility of faint celestial objects. Nearby, conditions improve significantly within a 50-kilometre radius to the west, transitioning to Bortle 6 skies, with further enhancement found at sites around 85 kilometres offering Bortle 3 qualities. For amateur astronomers, these locations present strong alternatives to leverage better night-sky visibility.

Abidjan Night Sky Glow Analysis

Fisheye perspective images of Abidjan emphasise the severe impact of urban illumination. The central dome of light haze dominates the skyline, with more noticeable gradients of sky brightness towards less developed western outskirts. Telescope positioning and imaging attempts would face substantial interference due to this omnipresent glow, underscoring the need for travel to escape into darker zones for more detailed experiences.

north - fair

Subtle skyglow on the north horizon. Faint stars below about 10 degrees here are slightly suppressed.

north-north-east - fair

A small artificial brightening near the north-north-east horizon. Star counts in this direction remain high above the lowest elevations.

north-east - fair

A small artificial brightening near the north-east horizon. Star counts in this direction remain high above the lowest elevations.

east-north-east - fair

Subtle skyglow on the east-north-east horizon. Faint stars below about 10 degrees here are slightly suppressed.

east - marginal

Persistent skyglow on the east horizon. Faint stars near the ground in this direction are lost.

east-south-east - fair

The east-south-east horizon shows a slight brightening. Workable for most targets above about 10 degrees elevation.

south-east - fair

Subtle skyglow on the south-east horizon. Faint stars below about 10 degrees here are slightly suppressed.

south-south-east - fair

The south-south-east horizon is mostly dark with a hint of light pollution. Faint stars are accessible above about 10 degrees.

south - fair

The south horizon is mostly dark with a hint of light pollution. Faint stars are accessible above about 10 degrees.

south-south-west - fair

A small artificial brightening near the south-south-west horizon. Star counts in this direction remain high above the lowest elevations.

south-west - fair

The south-west horizon is mostly dark with a hint of light pollution. Faint stars are accessible above about 10 degrees.

west-south-west - fair

Mild brightening on the west-south-west horizon. Faint stars at the very lowest elevation are dimmed; otherwise unaffected.

west - fair

A small artificial brightening near the west horizon. Star counts in this direction remain high above the lowest elevations.

west-north-west - fair

The west-north-west horizon is mostly dark with a hint of light pollution. Faint stars are accessible above about 10 degrees.

north-west - fair

The north-west horizon shows a slight brightening. Workable for most targets above about 10 degrees elevation.

north-north-west - marginal

The north-north-west horizon is brighter than natural. Faint stars are suppressed up to roughly 15-20 degrees elevation.

zenith - marginal

Overhead is significantly light-polluted. Limiting magnitude is around 3.5 to the unaided eye.

  • Yapokoi, Lagunes
    Direction
    S
    Distance (km)
    27.2
    SQM
    19.90
    Bortle
    6
  • Ahua, Lagunes
    Direction
    W
    Distance (km)
    47.7
    SQM
    20.28
    Bortle
    6
  • Gboyo, Lagunes
    Direction
    W
    Distance (km)
    87
    SQM
    21.48
    Bortle
    3
  • Trochu, Lagunes
    Direction
    NW
    Distance (km)
    108.7
    SQM
    20.96
    Bortle
    4
  • Jomoro Municipal District, Western Region
    Direction
    E
    Distance (km)
    160.3
    SQM
    20.87
    Bortle
    4
  • Wassa Dunkwa, Western Region
    Direction
    ENE
    Distance (km)
    168.7
    SQM
    21.01
    Bortle
    4

Historical Light Pollution Trends

Long-term data indicates a gradual but persistent increase in light pollution over Abidjan, with a trend towards darker skies worsening at an approximate rate of 0.0498 SQM per year since 2012. This reflects urban development and growing night-time illumination across much of the city region. Average sky brightness in recent years highlights the challenges for astronomical activities within the metropolis.