National Geographic Astro Planetarium would make a nice space gift for a budding astronomer. It has great functionality, with a time and date selector and a built-in speaker.★★★★½ Most star projectors come with a 'sleep timer' that will switch the device off after a specified amount of minutes. Controlling it is simple, using three buttons — power, rotation and sleep timer — and it is powered by a battery which you can charge with a USB-C cable. You're not tied to a power source like with the Homestar Flux, and you don't have to keep changing the batteries as you do with the National Geographic model—again — another happy medium. There are 30 additional discs available when you visit Astrial, Sega Toys' official online store. Simulations of the aurora borealis and the aurora australis are perhaps the highlights. There is a disc that displays the planets of the solar system as well, but it is the ones that show galaxies, nebulas and other NASA-based imagery that really stand out. For example, the North America nebula as taken by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and the weird seven-star system called Jabbah (officially called Nu Scorpii and IC 4592) as imaged by NASA's WISE mission. You can also buy disks that simulate fireworks, 'night jellyfish' and a hot-air balloon festival.

Brainstorm Toys Deep Space Home Planetarium Star ProjectorA neat little STEM toy with multiple functions. Kids between 6 and 10 will love to learn more about space with this hands-on device.★★★½ In reference to Class IIIa lasers (like laser pointers or some used in star projectors), the FDA says: ' Depending on power and beam area, can be momentarily hazardous when directly viewed or when staring directly at the beam with an unaided eye. Risk of injury increases when viewed with optical aids.'Like the Atmosphere Smart Galaxy Projector, you won't get scientific accuracy, but you'll get a fantastic 'insomnia-busting' experience that allows your children (or yourself) to sleep better at night.

As you can see, the star projector in this model has been cleverly integrated into the body of a space-suit-wearing astronaut. The stand resembles the moon's surface with footprints, which is where the astronaut's feet slot into to keep the astronaut upright and stable. Bresser Junior Astro-Planetarium DeluxeThis Bresser planetarium star projector, designed for kids, has true-to-life projections, a five-year warranty and is simple to operate. It has a time and date selector, a shooting star function and a sleep timer, and it ships with two disks.★★★½ In this buying guide, we've tested and reviewed a range of star projectors and ranked them according to performance, quality and budget. We've included a variety of options at different price points with a range of features, so you're sure to find one that suits your needs and budget. We continue to monitor the market for different models, and we'll share our favorites with you. Can I leave a star projector on all night? Unlike some other models, we found it to be near silent in its operation, which is great if you're using it to get to sleep or whilst watching a film.

A star projector ideal for any space fan, the Astronaut Starry Sky Star Projector offers great value-for-money as a space gift with plenty of fun thrown in.

In comparison to the Atmosphere Smart Galaxy Projector, the Ambience Galaxy & Star Projector has fewer lighting modes available, but it doesn't suffer from it. It offers four colors: blue, green, white and red, and users can blend these colors together using the supplied remote control and adjust the brightness to their specific preference. While the terms are often used interchangeably, star projectors can also be used to refer to unrealistic night and ambient or mood-enhancing lights that aren't scientifically accurate. Planetariums on the other hand are strictly realistic and accurate depictions of the night sky, which are sometimes even time and location-sensitive to show you the night sky as it appears at a given time. How do I choose a star projector?