A home planetarium, also called a room planetarium, is a great way to bring the starry sky into your own room.
However, there are more and more different models to buy, which due to their quality are simply not worthy of the price to be paid.
For this reason I have written a big buyer's guide for you here on home-planetarium.com and present the best home planetariums. Furthermore I will show you how to get the most out of a room planetarium.
The 7 best Home Planetarium
Below you will find a summary of the best room planetariums. Some devices have links to reviews in which I present them in detail. The planetarium information comes from my own test, product features and reviews from Amazon customers. Thus all evaluations consist of neutral information, which will help you in any case with the purchase.
Buyer's Guide & FAQ:
At this point I would like to show you what you have to consider when buying a home planetarium. I have written a big buyer's guide for this. I also answer frequently asked questions.
Scope of delivery
The first thing you should look at at any home planetarium is the scope of delivery. You should try to evaluate which accessories are included, if you really need them and what quality they have.
Functionality
With regard to the functions, you should consider how many features the home planetarium has. But more is not always better. Rather, everything had to function as desired. You must also pay special attention to how realistic the starry sky is displayed, the quality of the projection and how many celestial bodies are displayed. A good projection is probably the most important thing for a room planetarium.
Many home planetariums make quite loud noises, especially during automatic rotation. If you want to relax primarily with the star projection, however, this is very unfavorable. You should also bear this in mind when buying.
Quality
In addition to the inner values, you should consider the outer factors for each device. One of these is quality. With this evaluation criterion, I can see, for example, how often the projector has any errors according to customer reviews and what physical effects it can withstand. I also look at how high-quality the material and the workmanship look.
Price Performance
If price is important to you, you should put it in relation to performance. Sometimes you get just 10% less power for a much better price.
Sega Toys Homestar Original and Homestar Flux compared:
At this point I would like to show you again why the Homestar Flux in front of the former best home planetarium, the Homestar Original / Star Theatre by Sega Toys, has landed on 1st place. Here you can find a video-comparison with the previous model. In the video both advantages and disadvantages of both planetarias are addressed and a conclusion is drawn over both. Check it out so you can form your own opinion.
YouTube-Video by Mark Draper
If you want to read more about this, look here: Sega Homestar Flux vs. Original.
What is a home planetarium suitable for?
Primarily, a home planetarium can be used to observe the starry sky, even if the sky is overcast or the climate outside is simply wrong. In addition, the cyclic movement of the constellations can be easily followed without having to observe the sky every evening anew. Finally, most models have a function to display the constellation of stars from a certain date. You can also find more features in my reviews.
Very often home planetariums are also used as a kind of mood light for babies. Of course not the professional, expensive variants are suitable for this, but rather simpler and above all cheaper ones, which I also present here on my website.
How to use a home planetarium properly?
When using a home planetarium there is not too much to consider - no matter if you want to use it for discovering or relaxing. The golden rule, which applies to almost all models, is: There must be complete darkness in the room. If this condition is not fulfilled, then a lot of atmosphere is lost and you don't even recognize half of the stars anymore. In addition, a home planetarium should be set up evenly so that the projection really throws an optimal image to the ceiling.
Where should I buy a home planetarium?
I clearly recommend that you buy a home planetarium on the Internet (Amazon, for example). The reason is quite simply that most models are not offered at all in the shop. And even if there are them to buy, you won't directly find experiences of other buyers or even Reivews like on the Internet. To make it easier for you to buy online, I have also written a detailed review of some planetariums on this website.
How much does a home planetarium cost?
The price depends strongly on the quality you expect and especially on what you want to use the home planetarium for. For a really high quality you have to put at least $100 on the table. If, however, it is to be used only for experimenting with children, there are corresponding models available for about 40$. You can get the star projectors for babies for $20.
Pros and cons of home planetaria
Pros:
- can be used regardless of the weather
- observation of any parts of the sky possible
- suitable for adults and children
- easy to operate
- significantly less expensive than most telescopes
Cons:
- small selection of various models
- projections are often displayed blurred
What is the difference between a home planetarium and a Star Projector?
Many of my website visitors confuse the starry sky projector with planetariums for their own four walls. So that this doesn't happen to you, here are the two biggest differences explained for you:
The price
As you can see from many online test reports and online shops, home planetarium prices are in the range of 100$ and more. A starry sky projector, on the other hand, normally costs 20$ to 30$. For this reason alone, you shouldn't run away and buy a starry sky projector instead of a home planetarium. Finally, there is the second, much greater difference.
The usage and functions
In terms of functions and associated use, the two types of equipment are completely different. While star projectors are more for entertainment and throw colorful stars at the ceiling, the home planetarium is designed to discover the starry sky. Accordingly, you can, for example, display the date of the sky.
If you are looking for a starry sky projector, this is no reason to leave my site. I also have a buying advice on starry sky projector and star projector for babies.
Conclosure - home-planetarium.com
I hope very much that I could help you a little with the purchase decision or the knowledge search over the correct home planetarium further. If you think I haven't dealt with a topic in enough detail or if you are missing the answer to a question completely, then simply write me a message with your request. You can find my e-mail address in the legal notice.
You are from Germany and interested in home-planetariums? Look here: heimplanetarium.info.
If you are interested in aquariums, you also should check my website myaquarium.net.
Thanks for the review very helpful. I do think the original looks more like a natural night sky. I’m looking to buy one for my hubby for Christmas and confused. Wondering is the flux although sharper has too many stars and too bright compared to the original which from your video looks more realistic. The room is 5 x 3.5m and unfortunately has a vaulted ceiling which isn’t ideal I’d imagine. The flux looks far better quality as indeed does the packaging.
Thank you,
Lisa.
Hi Lisa,
if I was going to buy a home planetarium then I would choose the Homestar Flux. It uses the same Discs as the Homestar Original, but can display them in a way better quality and with brighter stars.
I was thinking the same Lisa . I was wondering if you did get one for hubby .Which one did you opt for and are you happy with it please?
Thanks
Tammy.
Are there any star projectors or planetariums which will still over to the walls while still projecting on the ceiling? Thanks, Mollie
Hi Mollie,
the answer to your question depends on the size of the ceiling and its height. If the ceiling is small and flat, the walls can also be projected with all home planetariums. Otherwise, it is also possible to align the home planetarium so that half of the projection is directed to the wall and the other half is directed to the ceiling. This is possible, for example, with the Homestar Flux and Homestar Original.
If it is not a home planetarium, but a star projector, then I can recommend the encalife Atmosphere for your project. This has a very large projection surface that can often cover the ceiling and walls at the same time.
Have you looked at the Sharper Image home planetarium? How would you rate it.
Hi Robin, I have not yet held the Sharper Image home planetarium in my hand and have not been able to test it. In terms of appearance and specifications (e.g., 8,000 stars per projection), it reminds me strongly of the Bresser junior Astro-Planetarium deluxe as well as the National Geographic Astro Planetarium Multimedia. The devices have respectively become third and fourth place in my best list. Presumably the Sharper Image would end up in a similar range. I hope to test it in a timely manner. Then I will update my ranking.