Bamako Stargazing & Astronomy Report

Light pollution and stargazing locations near Bamako

City
Bamako
Country
Mali
Latitude
12.6392
Longitude
-8.0029

Key Sky Quality Metrics

SQM (mag/arcsec²)
19.00
Bortle class
Class 7 (Class 7)
Darkness Quotient
33%
Dataset
August 2026

Suburban/urban transition

Bamako: The Practical Verdict

Bamako is a poor urban/suburban sky for astronomy. The Milky Way is not realistically visible from this level of light pollution.

Realistic targets include Moon, planets, bright double stars, bright open clusters, narrowband imaging with careful processing. With care, bright nebulae in narrowband and globular cluster cores are also accessible.

For darker conditions: Zambougou, Kayes, about 253 km north north west, is the strongest nearby option (Bortle 2).

At a Glance

Overall
Poor urban/suburban sky - This is a poor sky for astronomy. The Moon, planets, and a few bright objects remain viable, but deep-sky work is difficult.
Milky Way
Not visible - The Milky Way is not realistically visible from this level of light pollution.
Best targets from here
Moon, planets, bright double stars, bright open clusters, narrowband imaging with careful processing
Do not prioritise
visual deep-sky observing, broadband galaxies, reflection nebulae, Milky Way photography
Best nearby upgrade
Zambougou, Kayes sits about 253 km north north west and reaches Bortle 2, roughly 14x darker.
Good dark window
Bamako retains astronomical darkness throughout the year, so seasonality is less extreme than at higher latitudes. The main limitation is light pollution, not the length of the dark window.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you see the Milky Way from Bamako?

No. Bamako is a Bortle Class 7 sky with SQM 19.00, so the Milky Way is not visible from the city. For Milky Way photography, look for a Bortle 4 or darker site.

What Bortle class is Bamako?

Bamako is Bortle Class 7 (SQM 19.00), a poor urban/suburban sky for astronomy.

Is Bamako good for stargazing?

Not for serious deep-sky observing. Bamako is a poor urban/suburban sky where the Moon, planets, and a handful of bright targets are the realistic options from the city itself.

Is Bamako good for astrophotography?

Broadband deep-sky imaging is heavily compromised from Bamako and a Bortle 4 or darker site is strongly recommended. Narrowband imaging of bright emission nebulae remains viable from Bamako with appropriate Ha or OIII filters.

What can you observe from Bamako?

Primary targets from Bamako include Moon, planets, bright double stars, bright open clusters, narrowband imaging with careful processing. Targets such as visual deep-sky observing, broadband galaxies, reflection nebulae are not realistic from this sky.

Where are darker skies near Bamako?

The closest meaningfully darker mapped site is Kimy, Sikasso Region, about 161 km south east of Bamako, reaching Bortle 3.

When is the sky darkest in Bamako?

The sky over Bamako is darkest around January, December.

Is light pollution in Bamako getting better or worse?

Long-term light pollution over Bamako has been broadly stable across the available measurements.

north - good

Clean horizon to the north. Star counts remain high near the ground.

north-north-east - good

The north-north-east horizon is free of artificial brightening. Faint stars are visible to within a few degrees of the ground.

north-east - good

The north-east sky shows no obvious glow at ground level. Faint stars are clear at low elevation.

east-north-east - good

Clean, dark sky to the east-north-east. No visible artificial light source affects this quarter.

east - good

Clean, dark sky to the east. No visible artificial light source affects this quarter.

east-south-east - fair

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

south-east - fair

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

south-south-east - good

Clean, dark sky to the south-south-east. No visible artificial light source affects this quarter.

south - good

The south horizon is free of artificial brightening. Faint stars are visible to within a few degrees of the ground.

south-south-west - good

No visible glow on the south-south-west horizon. Stars are clear down to low elevation in this direction.

south-west - good

The south-west horizon is free of artificial brightening. Faint stars are visible to within a few degrees of the ground.

west-south-west - good

The west-south-west sky shows no obvious glow at ground level. Faint stars are clear at low elevation.

west - good

No visible glow on the west horizon. Stars are clear down to low elevation in this direction.

west-north-west - good

No visible glow on the west-north-west horizon. Stars are clear down to low elevation in this direction.

north-west - good

Clean, dark sky to the north-west. No visible artificial light source affects this quarter.

north-north-west - good

The north-north-west sky shows no obvious glow at ground level. Faint stars are clear at low elevation.

zenith - fair

The zenith sky is workable but lacks depth. Major constellations are intact; faint stars between them are thinned.

  • Kimy, Sikasso Region
    Direction
    SE
    Distance (km)
    160.5
    SQM
    21.60
    Bortle
    3
  • Zambougou, Kayes
    Direction
    NNW
    Distance (km)
    252.5
    SQM
    21.83
    Bortle
    2
  • Sinaly-Were, Ségou Region
    Direction
    ENE
    Distance (km)
    262.4
    SQM
    21.60
    Bortle
    3