Stargazing in Yaounde, Centre, Cameroon

Dark-sky rating for Yaounde

Yaounde, Centre, Cameroon is a large metropolitan area (population about 1,299,369). A place this size typically has a bright inner-city sky: only the Moon, planets and the brightest stars show from inside the urban core. That is an estimate of Bortle class 7–9 from population, not a measurement: the real value depends on the exact spot you observe from.

For a measured reading at any point, open the live Dark Sky map.

Nearest dark-sky places and observatories

No certified dark-sky place or observatory in our registry lies within 150 km of Yaounde. Our list only includes genuine, publicly documented sites, so none is shown rather than guessed.

Milky Way season in Yaounde

The bright core of the Milky Way climbs high above the horizon haze. It climbs at least 20° above the horizon during astronomical darkness in February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, peaking in April at about 57°.

• The north celestial pole stands 3.9° above the horizon, so stars within 4° of it never set from here.
• About 53.4% of the whole sky rises above the horizon at some point in the year from this latitude.
• The Milky Way's core in Sagittarius culminates about 57.1° up, clearing the horizon haze comfortably.
• The Large Magellanic Cloud only reaches about 16.4° altitude, so it is a low, seasonal target rather than a year-round one.
• At 726 m elevation, roughly 8% of the atmosphere's mass is already below you, which measurably reduces extinction near the horizon.

Tonight and aurora

As of October 15, 2026 (UTC) the Moon is a Waxing Crescent at 19% illumination. Aurora at 3.9° latitude generally needs about Kp 9.0.

Nearby places

• Douala, Littoral, Cameroon
• Nkongsamba, Littoral, Cameroon
• Bafoussam, West, Cameroon