[Craft] Handmade Planetarium Idea Book
A sky full of twinkling stars… Doesn’t just imagining it fill your heart with romance?
Light traveling from far, far away gathers to create a beautiful carpet of stars.
Here’s a suggestion: why not enjoy that breathtaking scene to your heart’s content right at home?
What we’re introducing today is a collection of DIY planetarium ideas!
Everything can be made with materials you can find at local shops, so anyone can give it a try with ease!
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[Crafts] Handmade Planetarium Ideas (11–20)
A planetarium made from an empty box and aluminum foil
This is a planetarium that projects a starry sky by poking holes in aluminum foil placed over an empty box and shining light through them.
On the side opposite the aluminum foil, make a hole so you can insert a light.
In addition to freely punching holes to create constellations, layering cellophane will spread a colorful starry sky, which is also recommended.
Depending on the brightness of the light, it may not project onto the wall, so be sure to think about ways to intensify the light—such as using multiple lights or lining the inside with aluminum foil.
cylindrical planetarium
This activity involves punching holes in a sheet of paper drawn with the arrangement of stars visible in the night sky, assembling it into a tube, and shining light from the inside to project the starry sky indoors.
The structure and angle of the paper tube are important: by setting a rotating tube at a slight tilt, you can effectively demonstrate how the real stars move.
The part attached like a lid on the tube represents stars visible in any season, while the stars that disappear when the tube is rotated are ones visible only in certain seasons—making it a great lead-in to learning constellations.
Since the stars in the night sky each have their own characteristics in brightness and size, it’s also recommended to be particular about how you punch the holes to faithfully reproduce their actual sizes.
Planetarium craft kit
It’s an easy-to-make planetarium: just punch holes to match the constellations drawn on the unfolded template, assemble it, and place it on a light.
Not only the star positions and constellation shapes, but also their names are clearly labeled, so you can learn the shapes and names as you punch the holes.
There are many versions available, such as ones that project seasonal constellations or rotate to show all seasons, so it sounds fun to start by finding your favorite.
Because it’s simple, you can also get creative—like increasing the number of stars beyond the sample, or adding cellophane to make a colorful night sky.
Planetarium with color balls
It’s a planetarium that represents a night-lamp shade using colored balls.
After inserting bamboo skewers into the colored balls and attaching them with a hot glue gun, mix UV resin with a colorant and apply it to the balls.
The key here is to leave some space around each skewer.
Change the resin colors to create a gradient as you paint, then cure the resin.
Once cured, remove the skewers and take out the colored balls.
Apply resin to the inside of the dome and nail polish to the outside.
Finally, coat the dome with clear resin, decorate it with charms and metal parts, and place it over the night lamp to complete the piece.
Polyhedral Planetarium
It’s a three-dimensional planetarium made by assembling pentagonal paper with holes punched to match the positions of the stars.
You cut the paper into pentagon shapes, then draw a net of adjacent pentagons that can be folded into a polyhedron using those pentagons as guides.
After that, punch holes in each pentagon, assemble it, and place it over a small light bulb to complete the device.
You can enjoy either a pattern that faithfully reproduces constellations or a design-focused pattern with freely placed holes.
It’s also recommended to hang it and use it as a light.
Planetarium with resin
This piece is created by layering resin with decorative elements to build up an expansive planetarium-like starry sky and the shapes of constellations.
You’ll make parts that depict constellations and parts that express the sparkle of the night sky, then layer and cure them with resin tinted in colors that evoke the night.
Another key point is stacking resin sheets and films—their irregularity produces a dreamy, floating sensation reminiscent of a nocturnal sky.
You could craft it as an ornament themed around a planetarium, or aim for gentle, light-transmitting colors to enjoy a version where you shine a light through it and project a starry sky around your room.
[Crafts] Handmade Planetarium Idea Collection (21–30)
Mini Planetarium
This is a compact planetarium device that lets you easily project a starry sky using your smartphone’s light.
Create the star field by punching holes in a sheet of black construction paper and rolling it into a tube—be mindful of the placement of the holes that let the light through.
If you also attach cellophane to the inside, the projected stars will look even more beautiful, so that’s recommended as well.
Next, cut out the bottom of a paper cup and wrap it in aluminum foil to make a reflective base, then attach the black construction paper you prepared—now it’s complete.
Secure it firmly over your smartphone’s light and project the starry sky in various places.