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)
18.14
Bortle class
Class 8 (Class 8)
Darkness Quotient
24%
Dataset
March 2026

City sky

Abidjan Sky Quality Overview

Abidjan is a sprawling global metropolis located on the coast of West Africa in CĂ´te d'Ivoire, serving as the country's economic and cultural hub.

With a Darkness Quotient of 24%, the city falls into the High Light Pollution tier, typical for urban centres of its size worldwide. Despite this, the night sky here can still offer views of the brighter celestial objects.

For casual stargazing, the Moon and planets are easily visible on clear nights, along with a handful of the brightest constellations. Unfortunately, deep-sky objects such as nebulae and galaxies remain almost completely washed out by the city lights.

Darker skies are accessible within a reasonable drive west of the city, with sites becoming progressively darker as you travel onwards. The nearest Bortle 4 location, approximately 95 km to the west, provides markedly better conditions for observing more subtle features of the Universe.

Abidjan's vibrant cityscape produces significant light pollution, which dominates the surrounding area. While this affects the darkness of the night sky, remote sites to the west still offer opportunities for escape to darker conditions.

Sky Quality Overview Above Abidjan

The view from the zenith above Abidjan clearly displays urban light pollution, with only the brightest stars and celestial objects visible against the glow of the city. Observers may find the conditions suitable for enjoying lunar views and observing the planets, though faint objects are mostly obscured.

north - fair

Looking to the north, the horizon appears dimly lit, allowing for some brightness low in the skyline but improving as altitude increases.

north-north-east - fair

Facing north-north-east, the sky maintains moderate brightness near the horizon, with some improvement noticeable higher up.

north-east - fair

Towards the north-east, the sky is moderately affected by urban light glow, with visibility improving beyond the immediate horizon.

east-north-east - fair

Looking east-north-east reveals a hazy glow near the horizon, though conditions gradually improve overhead.

east - marginal

To the east, the urban light glow is prominent, reducing visibility of celestial objects significantly across the lower sky.

east-south-east - fair

Facing east-south-east shows improved conditions beyond the horizon glow, with a darker sky advantage visible at higher altitudes.

south-east - marginal

To the south-east, light pollution lowers visibility, though brighter objects remain noticeable.

south-south-east - fair

Facing south-south-east offers a sky of moderate brightness, with some visibility improvement directly overhead.

south - fair

Looking south provides a moderately dim sky with decent viewing for certain brighter objects higher in altitude.

south-south-west - good

Facing south-south-west noticeably improves conditions, offering better opportunities to spot brighter celestial objects.

south-west - good

To the south-west, the sky displays favourable conditions, with less glow and improved clarity for brighter targets.

west-south-west - fair

Facing west-south-west offers somewhat better viewing conditions, with prominent celestial objects visible overhead.

west - marginal

To the west, the urban influence remains strong, though brightness diminishes further from the horizon.

west-north-west - fair

Towards the west-north-west, the sky is of moderate brightness, with some visibility gains noticeable higher up.

north-west - fair

Looking north-west yields partially affected conditions, though brighter celestial targets can still be viewed.

north-north-west - marginal

Facing north-north-west reveals city influences near the horizon, impeding visibility of faint objects.

zenith - poor

Viewing the zenith directly above Abidjan reveals a prominent light glow, obscuring most faint stars but enabling views of the Moon and the planets well.

  • ArmĂ©bĂ©, Lagunes
    Direction
    W
    Distance (km)
    37.7
    SQM
    19.85
    Bortle
    6
  • Grands-Ponts, Lagunes
    Direction
    W
    Distance (km)
    95.1
    SQM
    21.52
    Bortle
    3
  • AdzopĂ©, Lagunes
    Direction
    N
    Distance (km)
    95.3
    SQM
    20.86
    Bortle
    4
  • Grands-Ponts, Lagunes
    Direction
    W
    Distance (km)
    157.5
    SQM
    21.74
    Bortle
    2
  • BĂ©diakro, Lacs
    Direction
    NNW
    Distance (km)
    140.7
    SQM
    21.09
    Bortle
    4
  • Bisaaso No 2, Western Region
    Direction
    E
    Distance (km)
    169
    SQM
    20.73
    Bortle
    5

Dark skies are not immediately available around Abidjan, but travelling westward offers promising improvements. A good option for improved conditions would be the site around 95 km away near Grands-Ponts, which sits under Bortle 3 skies and offers significant visibility of celestial features. For even darker skies, continuing further to a Bortle 2 site approximately 160 km west exhibits pristine stargazing conditions with incredible clarity across the spectrum.

  • Within 50 km
    Place
    Pending reverse geocode
    Direction
    W
    Distance (km)
    37.7
    SQM
    19.85
    Bortle
    6
  • Within 100 km
    Place
    Pending reverse geocode
    Direction
    W
    Distance (km)
    95.1
    SQM
    21.52
    Bortle
    3
  • Within 200 km
    Place
    Pending reverse geocode
    Direction
    W
    Distance (km)
    157.5
    SQM
    21.74
    Bortle
    2
  • Within 500 km
    Place
    Pending reverse geocode
    Direction
    W
    Distance (km)
    310.5
    SQM
    21.64
    Bortle
    3

Light Pollution Trends in Abidjan

Over the past decade, light pollution levels in Abidjan have shown a gradual increase, with SQM values declining slightly year by year. This trend reflects general urban growth and increasing illumination within the metropolis, which is consistent with global patterns observed in cities of similar scale.

From Abidjan, the Moon and planets provide reliable night sky targets, while attempts at viewing deep-sky objects will mostly struggle against urban lighting. For seeing the Milky Way and fainter nebulae or galaxies, travel to darker western regions is recommended.

  • Moon
  • planets
  • double stars
  • brightest open clusters
  • bright nebulae
  • brightest globular clusters
  • Milky Way
  • faint galaxies
  • broadband nebulae
  • meteor showers

Can you see stars from here?

Yes, stars are visible from Abidjan, though only the brightest ones can pierce the city's significant sky glow.

Can you see the Milky Way from here?

No, the Milky Way is not visible from Abidjan due to the city's high levels of light pollution.

What is the sky's Bortle class here?

Abidjan's sky is classified as Bortle 8, typical of city sky conditions.

What is the typical SQM here?

The typical SQM measurement for Abidjan is 18.14, which reflects substantial urban illumination.

Where are the nearest dark skies?

The nearest dark skies are located about 95 km west of the city, near Grands-Ponts, which offers substantially darker conditions under Bortle 3 classification.

Is astrophotography possible here?

Astrophotography is challenging in Abidjan due to extensive light interference, though urban astrophotography focused on bright objects such as the Moon and planets may still yield results.

How far must I drive for darker skies?

You need to drive westward for about 95 km to find darker skies under Bortle 3 conditions. Travelling further can yield even better stargazing opportunities, particularly at 160 km away in Bortle 2 locations.