Here's our guide to the best space lamps on the market as a mix of moon, rocket and astronaut models are available. Below, we've rounded up moon lamps from a range of price points, so there's something suitable for everyone, regardless of taste and budget.
If you're in the market for the best moon gifts or the best space gifts, then the best space lamps are always worth checking out. In our guide, you'll also find some of the best star projectors as well as lamps that showcase our galaxy and solar system.
We've highlighted space lamps suitable for different rooms and settings, whether you want something decorative for a desk, to inspire a budding astronaut in a kid's bedroom or even to light up a living room. You can use our sidebar to make navigation through the options easier too. But, for the best space lamps, scroll down below.
The quick list
It's not the brightest light but it's beautiful, and a must for any lunar lover.
This gorgeous crystal ball that shows a tiny depiction of the galaxy inside will look fabulous on your office desk.
This rocket-shaped night light is the perfect bedside table accessory for a young space lover.
The perfect homework accompaniment: Not only does this astronaut desk lamp have a built-in pen pot, it also doubles as a space projector.
While this might not offer the glow of a standard lamp, this star projector offers gorgeous light shows to fill your walls and ceiling.
Why choose just one planet when you can have the whole solar system? This optical illusion lamp looks great, and can change colors.
Best space lamps we recommend in 2020
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Best for mood lighting
✅ You love the moon: This is a fantastic-looking lamp, perfect for setting a calming ambience.
❌ You want a bright lamp: This is more for mood lighting, so it's not the brightest.
🔎 Mind-Glowing 3D Moon Lamp: This is a beautiful lamp for any moon lover, one that sets a relaxing ambience in any room. ★★★★½
This 5.9-inch lamp was created by using NASA's satellite images of the moon as a reference guide, so you know you're getting something beautiful and realistic-looking.
What we particularly like about the Mind-Glowing 3D Moon Lamp is how customizable it is: It has five levels of brightness and can display 16 different colors. Even better, it comes with a remote control, making it easy to switch between all of the available settings without needing to get up and fiddle with it.
This Moon Lamp is powered by USB, and once it's charged it can provide up to 15 hours of light. It makes it easy to move between rooms and you don't have to worry about leaving it plugged in overnight. The soft glow can serve as an accent or mood light, and it looks absolutely wonderful in any room.
Best office lamp
✅ You want something unique: This looks absolutely stunning, and you won't see another lamp like it.
❌ You want a functional light: It's more of an executive toy than a lamp.
🔎 Zulux Galaxy Crystal Ball: Alternating through a range of lights, this feels more like an executive desk toy than a lamp, but we think it looks wonderful. ★★★★
Made of crystal, this 3.15-inch galaxy lamp is sure to spark interest in any room, although we think it's perfect as an executive toy that sits on your work desk. The crystal ball of the lamp sits atop an LED-lighted base, and it alternates through a range of colors.
There's no remote control here, so you can't control it from across the room: To turn the light on and off, simply tighten or loosen the bulb in the base.
You don't have to worry about not losing it. While the Zulux Galaxy Crystal Ball doesn't let off the brightest amount of light, it is absolutely beautiful-looking, and we think it's a perfect addition to any desk or office. It's powered by USB, too, so you don't have to worry about plugging it into a wall outlet or splashing out for additional batteries.
Best space travel lamp
✅ You want a nightlight: We think this is a great choice for space-loving kids who like to sleep with a light on.
❌ You want a bright lamp: This lamp is only 3 watts, so it doesn't let off the biggest amount of light.
🔎 YKL World Rocket Night Light Lamp: This multicolored night light is a must for any space-loving kid. ★★★★
If you love space shuttles, this USB-powered lamp in the shape of a space shuttle is sure to delight. It has a really cool design: The rocket itself is a transparent plastic shape sat on top of a solid black base, and when it's switched on, the light illuminates the entirety of the shape, making it look like a hologram.
The YKL World Rocket Night Light Lamp is decently sized at 9.96-inches tall. It's a 3-watt lamp, so it's not the brightest, but it's ideal for a comforting glow on a bedside table.
The Rocket Night Light can cycle through seven different color schemes, which can be manually changed by using a button on the lamp's base. There's also a dynamic flashing mode which will cycle through multiple colors, creating a beautiful ambience in whichever room you place the lamp in.
Best desk lamp
✅ You want multi-functions: It's a lamp, a desk caddy and a star projector all in one.
❌ You want something mains-powered: This lamp is USB rechargeable.
🔎 Astronaut Desk Lamp: We think this is the perfect desk lamp for kids. There's a handy pen pot built into it, and it also doubles as a basic star projector. ★★★★★
We absolutely love the Astronaut Desk Lamp, and think it's a must-have for any kid's desk. Or heck, anyone who loves space: We'd happily have this on our own desk.
Not only is this astronaut-themed light a desk lamp, but it also has a built-in projector, which can project images of the night sky on your walls and ceiling. Don't expect the quality of our best star projectors, but it's a nice little extra. The neck of the lamp can be adjusted to many angles, and at the base you'll find an attractive astronaut model.
There's also a pen pot built onto the base, perfect for keeping your desk organized. Since the lamp is USB rechargeable with a built-in battery, you don't need to worry about this taking up a wall plug, and it's easy to move around if you want to use it in a different room.
Best star projector
✅ You want a light show: This star projector will display gorgeous nebulas across your ceiling and walls.
❌ You want a direct light source: This won't be much good for reading, for example.
🔎 Astronaut Starry Sky Star Projector: While it's not a great direct light source, the light show from this novelty projector is seriously wonderful. ★★★★
Okay, a star projector might not quite be a lamp, but we think this one is worth including, since it's such a fun novelty item. Beyond looking seriously neat, though, it's also actually a good star projector: So good, in fact, that it's earned a place in our best star projectors guide.
In our Astronaut Starry Sky Star Projector review, we praised its ease of use and, of course, its novelty design: It looks absolutely wonderful, making it a great gift for kids (although we'd gladly use this ourselves, too).
Obviously, you won't get a scientific replica of the night sky on your ceiling from this star projector, but you will get gorgeous, multi-colored nebulas dotted with stars. It's a fantastic tool to relax or create a serene, fun environment.
The only real downside to the projector is that it's powered with a USB-A connector rather than USB-C, but it's not a deal breaker. It's also worth noting that this is a non-branded product, so you'll find lots of imitators and replicas across the internet, some as cheap as $10 or less. It can be hard to ensure you're buying the right thing, so to make sure you're not disappointed with a sub-par product, make sure you do your research first and check reviews before buying.
Best solar system lamp
✅ You want something unique: This isn't your ordinary lamp, and it looks very cool.
❌ You want a bright light source: This is more for ambient light, rather than a bright, directed source.
🔎 Seven Lady Solar System 3D Optical Illusion Lamp: This lamp boasts a diorama of the solar system, and has multiple color settings. ★★★★
Why choose just one planet when you can have the entire solar system? The Seven Lady Solar System 3D Optical Illusion Lamp displays an image of the solar system printed on a transparent sheet, giving this lamp the illusion of a hologram. It's effective, too, and while this isn't the brightest lamp it's going to look great on a desk or a bedside table.
The Solar System 3D Optical Illusion Lamp has 16 changing colors, and you can set it solid on any one of them, or on one of the four different light effect modes. You can choose between flash, strobe, fade or smooth, each offering a different style of mood lighting for your room.
We like that you can choose how you want to power the lamp, too. It's USB rechargeable, but you can also power it with AA batteries if you'd prefer. A handy remote control makes it easy for you to change between the different settings of the lamp without having to be too close to it, too.
How we test
We haven't reviewed any of the lamps you see above but here at space.com we have journalistic independence and staff with a wealth of knowledge when it comes to all things space and finding good quality products. We've judged the lamps here based on specifications as well as value for money, quality and the price tag.
We wouldn't put our name on something that wasn't worth it and we wouldn't include anything in this guide that we wouldn't have ourselves.
Recent updates
March 7: We've updated the intro and the strap to accurately reflect what's in this guide and we've added and fixed links to the products, so that you're taken to the correct product page rather than anywhere else.
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