The best star projectors are a great way to observe the wonder of the night sky from the comfort of your own home. That said, not all star projectors are made the same; some are designed to be as scientifically accurate as possible, while others simply allow you to enjoy the ambience of the stars.
The price of star projectors varies widely depending on their functionality. There are a number of accurate planetariums featured in this guide, and they carry much higher price tags than ambient lights. There are also some star projectors designed to be educational tools for children: You'll find examples of all three on our list.
Many star projectors are based on the nebulas you might see if you look to the skies with one of the best telescopes, so you can use them to learn about the night sky. Others also have built-in speakers which make them a great choice if you're looking to unwind and take a minute to appreciate some stunning sights. Star projectors can be a fantastic sleeping aid while also serving as a useful education tool for kids. Don't assume they're only for little ones, though, as adults can also get plenty of joy out of them.
We've put together this comprehensive guide which includes everything from budget-friendly options to high-end party-starters. You'll find a summary of each product, alongside a link to the full review and some quick pros and cons so you can find the perfect device for you.
The quick list
Best overall
The most realistic star projector, it projects bright, detailed images of the real night sky. This is a premium projector for all ages.
Best for space-themed parties
This projector has 16.7 million colors to choose from and adjustable brightness settings, and it's compatible with Android and iOS.
Best for voice control
Better suited to mood lighting, the Atmosphere Smart Galaxy shows patterns and colors that mimic galaxies and nebulas but are not terms scientifically accurate.
Best budget
A well-made novelty star projector that every kid or space fan will love to have in their bedroom.
Best affordable known brand
The Homestar Matataki is a feature-rich, premium star projector that displays twinkling stars.
Best for pastel shades
The newest star projector from BlissLights features color blend technology, voice and app control. A great option for anyone shopping for a mood-enhancing star projector.
Load the next 6 products ↴
Best value rechargeable
This rechargeable star projector emits bright, colorful and sharp imagery that gives other models we've tested a run for their money.
Best for homeschooling
One of the most reasonably-priced star projector STEM toys for budding astronomers who want a glimpse of the night sky at home.
Best multi-functional
This projector has great functionality, with a time and date selector and a built-in-speaker, and it's scientifically accurate.
Best generalist
This Bresser planetarium star projector is desisgned for kids and has true-to-life projections, a time and date selector, a shooting star function and a sleep timer.
Best for portability
An instant way to transform your space into a pleasing sensory laser environment.
Best for muti-media ambiance
This projector isn't scientifically accurate but it displays vivid nebula-inspired patterns to enhance the ambience in any room.
Best star projectors we recommend in 2024
Why you can trust Space.com Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test and review products.
Best overall
✅ You want to explore the skies: There are plenty of discs available for this projector, all of which are scientifically accurate. Most of them are NASA-based imagery.
❌ You're on a budget: This is the most expensive option on this list, so if you're on a budget, there are more suitable options that perform very well.
❌ You just want a pretty light: For anyone who just wants a nice mood-setting light, this will likely be overkill.
🔎 Sega Toys Homestar Flux Great for recreating a realistic-looking night sky inside. It's on the pricier end of the market, but the option to upgrade your disc collection is attractive. The night sky representation is about as realistic as it gets. ★★★★½
You might be surprised to know that Sega is not only known for Sonic the Hedgehog; it's also the manufacturer of the best star projector you can currently buy, the Sega Homestar Flux. With the ability to observe over 60,000 stars at once, it truly does bring the night sky inside your home.
We've tested the Homestar Flux extensively, and we can confidently say that there are no better star projectors or home planetariums on the market. It offers scientifically accurate views of the sky with beautiful, bright projections that will wow you.
The Homestar Flux operates with a disc system which allows you to change which parts of the night sky you're viewing. Two Northern Hemisphere and Northern Hemisphere Constellations (which includes labeled constellations) discs come included with the Homestar Flux, but many more are available to purchase separately. There are 30 discs available for around $18 each when you visit Astrial, Sega Toys' official online store.
If you're struggling to choose, we were particularly impressed by the simulations of the aurora borealis and the aurora australis. There is a disc that displays the planets of the solar system, but the ones that show galaxies, nebulas and other NASA-based imagery are the ones that really stand out. The North America nebula as taken by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and the seven-star system called Jabbah (officially called Nu Scorpii and IC 4592) as imaged by NASA's WISE mission are fascinating. For a different kind of skywatching, you can buy discs that simulate fireworks, 'night jellyfish' and a hot-air balloon festival.
Like many other star projectors, there is a 'shooting star' function, although in our Sega Homestar Flux review, we found it a bit predictable because the star always fell in the same spot. More variation would have made the display feel more real. However, we loved that it comes with an automatic shut-off option after 15, 30 or 60 minutes, which is handy if you're using it to fall asleep.
The main downside of this fantastic star projector is it's far more expensive than many other models, but you'll find few that offer the same user experience. It's worth noting that the Sega Toys Homestar Flux is also tough to find, so grab it while it's in stock at one of our trusted retail partners.
- Read our full Sega Toys Homestar Flux star projector review
| Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
| Design | Premium finish and build quality. |
| Performance | Excellent brightness, sharp imagery. |
| Functionality | Variety of stargazing discs, no novelty lights or lasers. |
Best for space-themed parties
✅ You want to pair it with music: We were impressed with the musical rhythm mode, where the lights flash and dance along to the beat of the music.
❌ You want scientific accuracy: It's not a scientifically accurate projection, although that said, it's the most realistic-looking non-scientific projector we've tested.
🔎 Aurora Borealis Northern Lights Star Projector It's highly customizable, the patterns are realistic and the music rhythm mode is impressive. One of our favourite projectors. ★★★★½
While it's not a scientifically accurate star projector, the Aurora Borealis Northern Lights Star Projector is packed full of great features.
This star projector is very customizable: you can choose to display a full moon, change the colors of the Aurora Borealis, make the stars more or less visible, or adjust the LED lights and green lasers to your preferred brightness. There are 16.7 million to choose from (in theory at least; we weren't able to test this as the human eye can't see that many), so you're bound to find one to your taste. We also love that you can control the projector with the remote control it comes with, or through the accompanying app on your smartphone.
The Aurora Borealis Northern Lights Star Projector comes with a high-quality built-in Bluetooth speaker which syncs the lighting display to music thanks to its "rhythm mode". This is a great feature if you want to create some party ambience.
In our Aurora Borealis Northern Lights Star Projector review, we highlighted it as one of our favorites of all the star projectors we've reviewed. It's just a shame that it comes in unbranded packaging, and we found the so-called official website to feel ingenuine. It didn't give us much trust in what we were buying, but thankfully the final product delivered.
| Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
| Design | Matte black finish. |
| Performance | Realistic looking aurora. |
| Functionality | App or remote (supplied) controlled. |
Best for voice control
✅ You want a voice activated projector: You can control this projector using your smart home devices (Alexa, Google Home, etc), meaning you don't have to fiddle with buttons to set the mood.
❌ You want it to be scientifically accurate: It doesn't show any constellations or any type of scientific night sky projections.
🔎 Encalife Atmosphere Smart Galaxy Star Projector: Although it is called a Galaxy Star Projector, like most others, this is a pleasant mood-setting light, showing colors and patterns that reflect galaxies and nebulas rather than an accurate starry sky. ★★★★
We love this projector's modern design; unlike most of its competitors, it can blend in among your furniture and looks great in most rooms. It also comes in an attractive packaging, so it would make a lovely gift.
In our Encalife Atmosphere Smart Galaxy Projector review, we noted how simple it is to use and set up. But this projector's standout feature is no doubt the voice control: You can use the companion app on your smartphone (available for iOS and Android), or your Amazon Alexa/Google Assistant to voice control your projector. This means you can adjust the brightness, control the rotation speed or change the colors without having to get up from your sofa.
The Atmosphere Smart Galaxy Projector boasts 16.7 million colors to choose from; while this sounds impressive, since the human eye can't actually see that many colors with the naked eye, it's a bit of a wasted claim. However, we're pleased to say the colours you can see are beautiful, and the projector offers up a fantastic light show experience.
It's worth noting that the Atmosphere projector doesn't offer scientifically accurate representations of the stars, so if you're after an educational tool, this won't be the one for you. But if you're simply looking for beautiful ambient light shows, you won't be disappointed with what's on offer here. We love that you can fully tailor the experience to your tastes by adjusting the brightness and projection speed.
The Atmosphere Smart Galaxy Projector is USB rechargeable. It can also be adjusted to four angles, so it's flexible enough to project onto both the walls or ceilings.
- Read our full Encalife Atmosphere Smart Galaxy Star Projector review
| Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
| Design | Compact design and shape, premium feel. |
| Performance | Bright & vivid colors, responsive controls. |
| Functionality | Highly customizable. |
Best budget star projector
✅ You want a gift for a child: It features a novelty astronaut design that's primarily aimed at children, though in our experience, adults love it too!
❌ The price is too high: This is another star projector where the price fluctuates wildly — we've seen it priced anywhere from $10 to $100. We'd be happy paying anything under $35 for it.
🔎 Astronaut Starry Sky Star Projector: A well-made novelty star projector that every kid, or space fan, will love to have in their bedroom. It isn't quite on par with other star projectors performance-wise, but it does everything we'd expect of it, given its reasonable price. ★★★★
While it's tempting to dismiss low-cost objects that go viral on TikTok, the Astronaut Starry Sky Star Projector proved us wrong. In our Astronaut Starry Sky Star Projector review, we were pleasantly surprised by how well made it was, and it ticked all the boxes a fun, novelty star projector should.
As you can probably assume from its price point, the Astronaut Starry Sky Star Projector is not a scientifically accurate projector. What it is, however, is a fun light show in a novelty package. While it might not provide an introduction to real-world nebulas and star systems, it does produce a fantastic display of light and colour, one that we think makes a great gift for any age.
Don't be put off by its underwhelming packaging. In operation, the Astronaut Starry Sky Star Projector is really impressive. As we mentioned in our review, the lighting module seems to be the same — if just a tiny bit less impressive — as other star projectors we have reviewed, including the BlissLights Sky Lite 2.0 and the Encalife Atmosphere Smart Galaxy Star Projector. It isn't based on science, unfortunately, but as long as you're happy to simply enjoy a pretty visual representation of the night sky, you'll get a lot of joy out of this. It helps that it's very quiet in use, too.
Since this is a non-branded product, you'll find many replicas of the Astronaut Starry Sky Star Projector available online. It can be hard to ensure you're buying the proper thing, but you should definitely be cautious of sellers advertising the projector for as little as $10, as you might end up disappointed with a low-quality product.
If we're being picky, we didn't love the fact that it's powered by a USB-A to DC cable instead of a USB-C, which would have been a lot more convenient nowadays. Other than that, it's a fantastic gift for any space enthusiast.
| Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
| Design | Novelty design more suited to children, but surprisingly good quality. |
| Performance | Bright lights and lasers, pretty patterns. |
| Functionality | Customizable settings, sleep timer. |
Best affordable known brand star projector
✅ You want all the bells and whistles: The Homestar Matataki has got new features that the Homestar Flux didn't have, from twinkling stars to inbuilt sounds.
✅ You already have discs from a Homestar Original or Flux: The Matataki is compatible with discs from previous models, which will save you money.
❌ You want a simple ambient light: This star projector is scientifically accurate and feature-rich, but it comes with a high price tag.
❌ You want a projection to fill the room: The projection circle is relatively small compared with other models that flood the whole room with color.
🔎 The Sega Toys Homestar Matataki is a more 'high-tech' version of its predecessor, introducing the magical twinkling star effect and adding sounds to its light displays. It's a great premium option if your budget extends to it. ★★★★½
If you want a star projector that can sing and dance, the Sega Toys Homestar Matataki is the one for you. This is the newest projector from Sega Toys, expanding on its excellent Homestar Flux (which you'll find at the top of this list). Rather than replace the Flux, however, the Matataki sits alongside it, adding a range of new features.
Perhaps the most striking new feature is the addition of a 'twinkle plate' which gives the illusion of twinkling stars and adds a lot of depth to the visual experience. The star projector also comes with sounds included, which is a nice added bonus but by no means a necessity considering the amount of free sleep sounds you can source from streaming platforms.
During our Homestar Matataki review, we appreciated how silently it runs and the brightness of the displays. That said, we found the Homestar Flux offers higher-contrast images and sharper stars, which is why it remains at the top of our list. In terms of price and availability, however, the Matataki clearly takes the win against its predecessor. We did appreciate that the discs for the Flux and the Homestar Original are compatible with the Matataki, potentially reducing your investment if you own one of these models.
While we love all the extra functionality and the beautiful imagery the Matataki comes with, we just wish Sega Toys had made the projector powered by USB-C or A rather than mains-powered. While this might seem like a trivial issue, it does greatly limit where you can position the projector, and considering this one has a relatively small projection circle, it could be a dealbreaker.
| Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
| Design | Intuitive interface and similar design to other projectors. |
| Performance | Bright images and twinkling stars. |
| Functionality | In-built sounds and premium features. |
Best for pastel shades
✅ You want a lot of customization: Although the laser 'stars' can only appear as blue or green (depending on which model you get), you can customize the clouds through the app.
✅ You want a smart home compatible projector: It can work with both a Google and Alexa home device, so you can turn it on and off and give other commands with your voice.
❌ You want it to be scientifically accurate: This projector is for adding atmosphere and projecting pretty colors rather than providing any kind of scientific accuracy.
🔎 BlissLights Sky Lite Evolve The nebulas are bright and endearing, complimented perfectly by the hue of the blue/green lasers. This is a great option for anyone shopping for an aesthetic star projector rather than a scientific one. ★★★½
The BlissLights Sky Lite Evolve has a near 360-degree angling thanks to its spherical design. Few other star projectors offer so much coverage, and the 1.5m cable its comes with means you should be able to position it in the most optimal location in any room.
This star projector's smart features are what really stood out in our BlissLights Sky Lite Evolve review. You can use this so-called 'galaxy light' in conjunction with several smart home systems, from Google Assistant to Amazon Alexa, which enables you to change its colours or turn it on or off at the sound of your voice.
Perhaps one of the best things about the BlissLights Sky Lite Evolve is how silently it operates, making the experience a truly relaxing one and allowing you to focus on the stars. It also makes use of a patented color-blending technology, which means instead of using solid color blocks, its four LED lamps are capable of providing a broader range of colour options. This results in softer blended colors and a beautiful, almost pastel-like palette, contributing to the calming atmosphere.
You can choose between three models — blue, green or no lasers — and we think it's a great pick for lighting up parties, adding ambience to your movie night or gaming tool, or as a a relaxing ambient light to help you fall asleep.
- Read our full BlissLights Sky Lite Evolve review
| Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
| Design | Small and discrete, spherical design. |
| Performance | Bright stars and nebulas. |
| Functionality | Highly customizable. |
