Searching potential astronomical sites in Ethiopia
S. Sahlu, N. Suleiman, GM. Kumssa, ST. Belay, E. Alemayehu, M. Getnet, M. Povic, SH. Negu, B. Belata, J. Tamrat
TL;DR
This study identifies new optical astronomical sites in Ethiopia by applying a six-criterion multi-criteria decision analysis to a broad pool of high-altitude mountains. It synthesizes elevation, cloud cover, night-sky brightness, humidity, wind speed, and wind direction data from NASA POWER, NASA, FAO, and Weather Spark to screen 367 candidate mountains down to 21 highly suitable locations, alongside two existing sites. The results provide a map-backed set of candidates and emphasize protecting dark skies and enabling astrotourism in East Africa, while outlining plans to incorporate additional factors such as seismic risk, PWV, aerosols, and infrastructure in future work. This framework prepares for sustainable development of astronomy in Ethiopia and the broader region by guiding site protection, planning, and deeper site testing (e.g., astronomical seeing) in subsequent phases.
Abstract
This work aims to choose potential astronomical sites that can be candidates for a new astronomical optical observatory in Ethiopia, in addition to the Entoto Observatory and Lalibela sites. For our primary investigation, the six basic criteria, namely the altitude of the mountains, artificial light pollution, cloud coverage, humidity, wind speed, and wind direction, are taken into account. Consequently, using the multi-criteria statistical analysis (MCSA) techniques, 21 high-potential places are selected and presented for further investigation out of 367 mountains. Those selected mountains are mapped and presented to study the future of the astronomical seeing effect. This study may contribute to the protection of those potential astronomical sites and their dark skies and the development of astrotourism for the sustainable development of modern astronomy in Ethiopia and in the East African region.