BlissLights Sky Lite EvolveThe nebulas are bright and endearing, complimented perfectly by the hue of the blue/green lasers.This is a great option for anyone shopping for a mood-enhancing star projector (rather than a scientific one). ★★★½

With three adjustable ridges on the bottom, you can easily position this projector at three different angles, including upward onto a ceiling. It utilizes both LED and direct laser diode technologies to produce dynamic RGB projections with moving patterns. It's portable and convenient, powered by a USB cable, enabling you to connect it to a computer or a portable battery. The projected images are bright and clear even during the daytime. This was taken at midday indoors. (Image credit: Tantse Walter) Like many other star projectors, there's a 'shooting star' function, although, in our Sega Homestar Flux review, we explained how we'd like this to be at random intervals, or in a different place each time so it isn't as predictable. It has an automatic switch-off after 15, 30 or 60 minutes function. Once again, we're not sure what we love most about this feature-rich Aurora Borealis Northern Lights Star Projector. You can easily choose between a whopping 16.7 million Aurora colors by using the buttons on the device, the remote control that comes with it or your smartphone.

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.

The Sky Lite 2.0 is best compared to the likes of a lava lamp in terms of what it tries to achieve. If you're after a hypnotic journey through an imaginary nebula (or aurora?) — this star projector delivers. The best star projectors can either be used as home planetariums, projecting realistic night skies and galaxies indoors, or they can serve as soft, glowing night lights for adults or children. Considering its reasonable price tag and the many educational benefits it offers, we think this projector is a worthwhile investment for homeschooling or simply learning about space with your child.

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 The downside of the Pococo design is that you only have 30 degrees of movement to shine the lights, although as you'll typically be shining this at the ceiling, this isn't a deal breaker. 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.

Using advanced glass lenses, this projector creates realistic night skies that appear bright, even in rooms that aren't completely dark. It goes beyond a basic star projector, resembling a home planetarium with high accuracy. With adjustable focus, you can enjoy an impressive display of 60,000 stars, surpassing the capabilities of many other projectors. The Astronaut Starry Sky Projector is a cost-effective way to add immediate ambiance to a room. Thanks to its novelty space-walking astronaut design, it would be the perfect gift for a young space fan. It's very easy to use, the lights are bright and customizable, the lasers will fill a small room, and the operation is quiet, all features that make for a good star projector.

Not all star projectors are scientifically accurate — some are designed to be pleasant ambient lights to be used as kids' night lights or just to create a relaxing atmosphere. However, some models are scientifically accurate and create a planetarium in the comfort of your own home — these include the the Sega Toys Homestar Flux, National Geographic Astro Planetarium and Bresser Junior Astro-Planetarium Deluxe. What is the difference between a star projector and a planetarium? 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 The only downside with the Atmosphere Smart Galaxy Projector is that the nebulas and stars aren't scientifically accurate. Still, we enjoyed the experience so much that we didn't feel short-changed. We were especially happy with the option to adjust both the brightness and the projection speed, which makes it great for setting a calm environment to relax in, or an energetic party scene.

Bluetooth speakers tend to be quite poor quality, but we thought the speaker was surprisingly high quality and had excellent sound clarity and detail. The adjustable sound settings are a plus, enabling you to customize the sound to your liking and to switch to a different genre of music. 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.