Best space lamps 2025 — Light up your world ahead of Father's Day and Amazon Prime Day

galaxy crystal ball space lamp
(Image credit: Future)

Ahead of Father's Day, Japan's ispace potentially historic moon landing attempt and with Amazon Prime Day on the horizon, we've rounded up the best space lamps on the market.

Our expert staff, who have immeasurable experience in handling toys, gifts, deals and more, have given their first-hand account of some of the lamps in this guide and everything comes recommended. Space lamps come in all shapes and sizes and are suitable for kids and adults alike. We also have an FAQ section for extra info, should you need it. Below, you'll find the six best across a range of categories.

With the likes of Father's Day and later, Prime Day fast approaching, now is a great time to look for the best space lamps as deals across a vast array of products usually pop up during those events. Space lamps can often be some of the best moon gifts or the best space gifts. So, for the best space lamps on the market, scroll down below.

The quick list

Best space lamps we recommend in 2025

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 for mood lighting

Mind-Glowing 3D Moon Lamp

This moon lamp has an eye-catching look and its subtle glow accents any room.

Specifications

MSRP: $34.95
Size: 5.9 inch diameter
Special features: 16-color changing LED
Power: USB rechargeable

Reasons to buy

+
Realistic looking
+
Great choice of colors

Reasons to avoid

-
A little flimsy
Buy if:

✅ You love the moon: This is a fantastic-looking lamp, perfect for setting a calming ambience.

Don't buy if:

❌ You want a bright lamp: This is more for mood lighting, so it's not the best for reading or working under.

The bottom line:

🔎 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 many different colors to set any mood you'd like. Opt for the realistic white glow of the moon, or go for a soothing blue or far-out bright pink: The choice is entirely yours.

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. It even comes with a sleep timer, so you can fall asleep to its soothing glow and know it'll turn itself off after 15, 30 or 45 minutes.

This Moon Lamp is powered by USB, and once it's fully 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

Zulux Galaxy Crystal Ball

The crystal ball features a sharp and unmistakable depiction of a galaxy.

Specifications

MSRP: $27.99
Size: 3.15 x 3.15 x 4.13 inches
Special features: Multicolor changing lights
Power: USB

Reasons to buy

+
Looks seriously cool
+
Changing colors

Reasons to avoid

-
Doesn't give off much light
-
No settings: it's either on or off.
Buy if:

✅ You want something unique: This looks absolutely stunning, and you won't see another lamp like it.

Don't buy if:

❌ You want a functional light: It's more of an executive toy than a lamp.

The bottom line:

🔎 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. ★★★★

Okay, we'll admit the Zulux Galaxy Crystal Ball isn't quite a lamp. It does light up, but it doesn't really give off enough light to do anything useful. It does look absolutely stunning, though, and we're blown away by the quality of it. This is a seriously cool executive desk toy, and we'd be proud to have it sat next to our PC monitor while we work.

Made of crystal, this 3.15-inch crystal ball lamp is sure to spark interest in any room, though as we say, we think it feels right at home on a 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 a screw in the base which turns the connection to the bulb on or off. It's a little rudimentary: We'd have preferred an actual on-off switch, and some settings to control the color would have been nice. But it's not a dealbreaker; it still looks absolutely stunning.

The Crystal Ball lamp is, however, battery-powered, so once it runs out, you'll need to change the batteries before you can use it again. There's a spare set of batteries in the box, though, which is a very nice touch.

Best space travel lamp

Rocket Night Light

This lamp is a must-have for any rocket fan. (Image credit: Amazon)

YKL World Rocket Night Light Lamp

Simply captivating, this engineering marvel looks like a hologram.

Specifications

MSRP: $20.99
Size: 9.96 inches tall
Special features: 7 different colors to cycle through
Power: USB

Reasons to buy

+
Has seven different color schemes
+
Well constructed

Reasons to avoid

-
Not the brightest lamp
Buy if:

✅ You want a nightlight: We think this is a great choice for space-loving kids who like to sleep with a light on.

Don't buy if:

❌ You want a bright lamp: This lamp is only 3 watts, so it doesn't let off the biggest amount of light.

The bottom line:

🔎 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 that will cycle through multiple colors, creating a beautiful ambience in whichever room you place the lamp in.

Best desk lamp

Astronaut Desk Lamp

More than just a novelty, this astronaut desk lamp is rechargeable and offers caddy to go with the light.

Specifications

MSRP: $21.99
Size: 2.76 x 3.94 x 8.86 inches
Special features: Lamp and galaxy projector
Power: USB rechargeable

Reasons to buy

+
Multi-functional
+
Built-in star projector
+
Looks great

Reasons to avoid

-
USB-rechargeable
Buy if:

✅ You want multi-functions: It's a lamp, a desk caddy and a star projector all in one.

Don't buy if:

❌ You want something mains-powered: This lamp is USB rechargeable.

The bottom line:

🔎 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, in fact, anyone who loves space: We'd happily have this on our own work desk.

The main lamp has an adjustable neck, and it's surprisingly bendy, allowing you to angle it just about anywhere. You can even adjust the brightness. It's not the brightest lamp in the world but it's more than ideal to read under.

As an added bonus, the Astronaut Desk Lamp also doubles up as a projector. Holding down a button on the base of the lamp will activate the projection light on top of the lamp, casting a neat view of planets and stars onto your wall or ceiling. Don't expect the quality of our best star projectors, but it's fun, particularly for young kids.

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. The battery should last several hours on one charge, and it charges very quickly, or you can keep it connected to a USB outlet.

Best star projector

Astronaut Starry Sky Projector review photo

The Astronaut Starry Sky star projector is a novelty, but offers a great projection experience. (Image credit: Tantse Walter)
A surprisingly well made novelty, the Astronaut Starry Sky Star Projector is one of the best star projectors on the market.

Specifications

MSRP: ~$20
Size: 4.7 x 4.4 x 8.9 inches
Special features: Novelty design, star projection
Power: USB-A to DC port

Reasons to buy

+
Surprisingly good build quality
+
Impressive and effective lighting
+
People of all ages will like it

Reasons to avoid

-
Boring packaging
-
DC port feels dated
-
Light output not as good as other models
Buy if:

✅ You want a light show: This star projector will display gorgeous nebulas across your ceiling and walls.

Don't buy if:

❌ You want a direct light source: This won't be much good for reading, for example.

The bottom line:

🔎 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

Solar System lamp glowing purple

(Image credit: Amazon)

Seven Lady Solar System 3D Optical Illusion Lamp

A truly unique design, this solar system lamp offers a light source as well as an optical illusion of a 3D solar system.

Specifications

MSRP: $15.99
Size: 3.43 x 3.43 x 1.38 inches
Special features: 16 color modes and 4 dynamic flash modes
Power: USB charging or 3x AA batteries

Reasons to buy

+
Multiple color settings
+
Beautiful ambient light

Reasons to avoid

-
Not a very bright light
Buy if:

✅ You want something unique: This isn't your ordinary lamp, and it looks very cool.

Don't buy if:

❌ You want a bright light source: This is more for ambient light, rather than a bright, directed source.

The bottom line:

🔎 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've reviewed most of the products on offer in this guide and our aim is to one day review them all. We have expert staff and freelancers who review, test and judge all sorts of tech and entertainmentt products who have years of experience behind them.

We also 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.

Space lamps FAQS

What is the best space lamp?

How much do space lamps typically cost?

Again, it all depends on what you're looking for. In our guide above, you won't find anything for more, or at least for much more, than $30 or so. Of course, regular lamps can retail for a lot more but many space lamps can be a novelty and some double-up as a night light rather than a lamp designed to illuminate an entire room.

When is the best time to buy a space lamp?

While there isn't a specific date or time of year where you can guarantee the lowest price or the best deal, annual sales events like Amazon Prime Day and Black Friday are consistently reliable for countless discounts across an incredibly wide range of products. So, the most likely time of year you'll find a sizable space lamp deal is during one of these events. But, that doesn't mean you can't pick up a bargain at any other time of year.

Are space lamps suitable for adults too?

Of course they can be. Any lamp that can add visibility to your immediate vicinity can be suitable for an adult. It shouldn't matter whether your desk lamp has an astronaut on it or if your light source features a galaxy design, there are space lamps suitable for kids as well as adults.

Recent updates

June 4: We've updated the intro and the strap to mention upcoming events and we've added an FAQ section, so you have extra information to go with the opinions on the best space lamps on the market.

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