Kumasi Stargazing & Astronomy Report

Key Sky Quality Metrics

SQM (mag/arcsec²)

18.81

Bortle class

Class 8 (Class 8)

Darkness Quotient

31%

Dataset

August 2026

City sky

Kumasi: The Practical Verdict

Kumasi, a major city in the Ashanti Region of Ghana, is a bustling urban centre, and the bright urban light severely degrades the quality of the city's sky for stargazing. With a high level of light pollution, Kumasi unfortunately offers poor conditions for observing deep-sky objects, and the Milky Way is completely invisible.

Observing from Kumasi limits you to targeting the Moon, planets, bright stars, and double stars. Narrowband imaging can be attempted with careful preparation, but deep-sky observations, especially of galaxies and dim nebulae, are not fruitful here. The cleanest section of the sky lies towards the south-west, although this offers limited advantage over other directions.

For a better stargazing experience, travel about 155 km south-west to Ɔdɔ Yɛ Fɛ in the Western North Region. This site provides a more favourable sky with a Bortle 4 rating, effectively improving conditions for deep-sky observations.

At a Glance

Overall

Poor city sky - This is a poor city sky. The Milky Way is not visible and most deep-sky observing is unrealistic from the location itself.

Milky Way

Not visible - The Milky Way is erased by the bright urban sky background.

Best targets from here

Moon, planets, bright stars, double stars, solar system events, narrowband imaging only with care

Do not prioritise

visual deep-sky observing, broadband galaxies, reflection nebulae, widefield Milky Way

Best nearby upgrade

Ɔdɔ Yɛ Fɛ, Western North Region sits about 157 km south west and reaches Bortle 4, roughly 9.2x darker.

Good dark window

Kumasi 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 Kumasi?

No. Kumasi is a Bortle Class 8 sky with SQM 18.81, 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 Kumasi?

Kumasi is Bortle Class 8 (SQM 18.81), a poor city sky for astronomy.

Is Kumasi good for stargazing?

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

Is Kumasi good for astrophotography?

Broadband deep-sky imaging is heavily compromised from Kumasi and a Bortle 4 or darker site is strongly recommended. Even narrowband imaging is difficult from Kumasi without careful processing.

What can you observe from Kumasi?

Primary targets from Kumasi include Moon, planets, bright stars, double stars, solar system events. Targets such as visual deep-sky observing, broadband galaxies, reflection nebulae are not realistic from this sky.

Where are darker skies near Kumasi?

The closest meaningfully darker mapped site is Nnobekan, Ashanti Region, about 33 km south west of Kumasi, reaching Bortle 6.

When is the sky darkest in Kumasi?

The sky over Kumasi is darkest around January, December.

Is light pollution in Kumasi getting better or worse?

The long-term trend for Kumasi is gradually worsening, with the sky brightening by about 0.08 SQM per year.

• Nnobekan, Ashanti Region

  Direction

  SW

  Distance (km)

  32.7

  SQM

  19.91

  Bortle

  6

• Adenkurom, Eastern Region

  Direction

  SSE

  Distance (km)

  106.4

  SQM

  20.54

  Bortle

  5

• Osenese, Western Region

  Direction

  S

  Distance (km)

  120.4

  SQM

  20.79

  Bortle

  5

• Vanderpuye I, Eastern Region

  Direction

  ESE

  Distance (km)

  121.8

  SQM

  20.79

  Bortle

  5

• Ɔdɔ Yɛ Fɛ, Western North Region

  Direction

  SW

  Distance (km)

  157.1

  SQM

  21.22

  Bortle

  4