These Space-Themed Gifts Are Perfect for the Astronomy Nerd in Your Life

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It’s fair to say that space and space exploration is having a pop culture (and scientific) resurgence that just might compete with the 1950s. Everything from the very first images from the James Webb Space Telescope to commercial space travel featuring a “return” to orbit for Captain Kirk (at the age of 90) has spurred a renewed excitement in the great beyond. Especially with thoughts of Mars colonies in our lifetime, it’s easy to feel swept up in the stars. And really, is there any better evidence of collective space-on-the-brain than NASA sweatshirts at the Gap?

Of course, there are the die-hard space nerds with a long history of geeking out over anything related to the final frontier, and amateur astronomers who take out telescopes on clear nights. If you need a gift for one of these space-obsessed humans, you’re in luck—we’ve compiled a most-excellent guide to the best space gifts on the market.

Desk Planets

The astronomy or physics teacher in your life will love this collection of planets to add to their desk. Each gemstone has been carefully selected and handcrafted to replicate the look of the real planets. The walnut base also serves as a clean display that prevents your planets from rolling away.

Personal Planetarium

Anyone can take a journey through the far-out galaxy with this augmented reality viewer and audio guide. All you have to do is insert your smartphone and this device will overlay constellations, galaxies, planets, stars, and more that you can look around like a mini planetarium. The device provides images of 150 celestial objects to look at between eight different viewing modes.

Glow-in-The-Dark Constellation Blanket

This microfiber glow-in-the-dark blanket will keep stargazers warm and cozy on any chilly day this year. It is incredibly soft for maximum comfort, and lights up just like the night sky once it gets dark out. Keep the stars close even when it’s too cold to go gazing. You can also free to toss this blanket in the washing machine without issue.

Piece of Space

This year, you can literally give something from a galaxy far, far away. This space gift features a piece of a meteorite that smacked into Argentina roughly 5,000 years ago. It comes wrapped in a drawstring pouch for safekeeping and a certificate of authenticity, which you can personalize with your giftee's name.

Heat Changing Planet Mug

Start someone’s morning off right with the gift of a great cup of coffee—and a lesson about the universe. As soon as they pour their favorite warm drink in this mug, facts about the solar system will appear around its exterior. If they prefer cold beverages, they will still get to enjoy a beautiful planetarium diagram that shows up at any temperature.

Personalized Space Name Art

Gift your favorite space enthusiast personalized art with hi-res photos of space, galaxies, rockets, stars, and more, each photographed to emulate a letter of the alphabet. All you have to do is choose which frame you want (there are three options) and click “customize” to create someone’s name. This is a great gift for an older kid looking to decorate their room.

The Hubble Cosmos: 25 Years of New Vistas in Space by David H. Devorkin and Robert W. Smith

With more than 150 photographs and 25 years worth of discoveries, the space-obsessed friend or family member in your life will love this book. It documents everything that NASA’s Hubble Telescope has seen over the years, and even gives a bit more insight into what the universe is really like. Place it prominently on a bookshelf or sprawled out on your coffee table.

Visual Galaxy: The Ultimate Guide to the Milky Way and Beyond

Space lovers can tour the solar system and beyond with this gorgeous coffee table book. Visual Galaxy includes more than 300 pages of striking images—both photographs and realistic illustrations—with loads of information about the planets, stars, moons, and galactic phenomena. This book serves as the visual guide through understanding our galaxy and what we know about space as a whole.

Moon Lamp

Lava lamps are groovy and all, but they aren’t exactly high design. This moon lamp is a great upgrade to cast a warm glow on any nightstand. It comes in four sizes, has two light modes, and really looks like the moon with its craters, mountains, and basins when it’s lit up. The spherical light is also held up by a stand provided by the company.

50 Things to See in the Sky by Sarah Barker

50 Things to See in the Sky is a great gift for novice stargazers. The illustrated tome shares tips on observing the sky overhead, then helps readers understand and identify constellations, super giants, and moons on their own. Help spur on an early love of the stars with this great book. The glow-in-the-dark cover also makes it a fun addition on a nightstand or bookshelf.

Telescope, 70mm Aperture

This top-rated portable manual focus telescope features a fully coated optics glass lens, along with a 400mm focal length and 70mm aperture. It comes with two replaceable eyepieces and a Barlow lens. The carry bag makes it easy to travel to higher vantage points with better visibility and the remote control helps take once-in-a-lifetime photos.

Sky Lite Evolve

If you can’t fit the visual expanse of the cosmos in your bedroom, this is the next big thing. This LED star projector from BlissLights can shoot stars and galaxies on your walls in a variety of color options. You can customize your interplanetary display from the connected smartphone app for easier control.

The Illustrated Brief History of Time

This beautifully illustrated hardcover edition of Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time is one to treasure. It features an updated intro from the author’s original 1988 edition along with 240 full-color illustrations, including images from the Hubble Space Telescope.

Space-opoly

This space-themed twist on the classic game of Monopoly will have the whole family gathered around the kitchen table for hours of fun. Travel through the universe and own different stars, planets, or galaxies while learning something new along the way. At the same time, devastate your opponents with your calculating investments.

3D Optical Illusion Space Shuttle Nightlight

From far away, this lamp looks like an actual space shuttle ready to blast off, but up close, it’s a thin, completely flat acrylic sheet.

This lamp would be a great addition to your child’s space-themed room, and could double as a nightlight when it gets dark. It comes in 16 changeable color modes, a smart touch button to easily change the colors, and uses energy-efficient LED bulbs.

Solar System Planetarium Model Kit

This solar system model kit helps young scientists learn about how planets revolve around the sun. Everything needed to build it is inside the gift-ready box, including a squeeze glow paint pen, stencils, and string. This kit also comes with a wall chart filled with fun facts to learn as you build.

Astronaut Bookends

These appealing (and adorable) decorative astronaut bookends are made of resin metallic silver details, and stand just over seven inches tall. The pair have rubber feet beneath the moon rock base to prevent scratches and weigh about three pounds each. You can also choose for whether you want the astronaut helmet masks to be silver or gold.

Astronaut LED Laptop Light

Don’t let the astronomer or scientist in your life get stuck working late nights in the dark. Instead, treat them to this mini astronaut LED laptop light. It plugs right into a USB port and turns on by flipping up the astronaut’s mask, so you'll never be up late without a buddy.

Space Playing Cards

This deck of cards features stunning space photos from NASA’s archives. It’s a collection of beautiful imagery from various perspectives in space that NASA has captured over the years, ready to be played with in your next round of Poker. Each deck comes in a carrying tin for easy storage.

NASA T-Shirt Walking Astronauts in Space

This shirt is a fun space-themed twist on the cover of the classic Beatles 1969 album “Abbey Road.” The shirt comes in four colors and nine sizes, so it’s a great gift for any space lover in your life that also appreciates a bit of music from an all-time rock band.

NASA Smartwatch Band

What space nerd could resist this officially licensed NASA smartwatch band? It's compatible with every Apple Watch series, including the Series 8, as well as Samsung smartwatches and others with 22mm pins. It's made of silicone and comes in seven different NASA-themed designs.

‘I Need My Space’ Tumbler

Any astronomy enthusiast would love this tumbler designed to be a bit “punny.” This gift keeps drinks hot or cold, has a leak-resistant lid, and is made of an eco-friendly and non-toxic stainless steel. Traveling through the stars usually comes at the cost of a few cups of coffee along the way.

Glow-in-the-Dark Stars and Planets Stickers

Your child will have so much fun decorating their room or play space with this collection of stickers to replicate the solar system. Plus, once it gets darker at night, the stickers will glow in the dark, and your child can imagine what it’s like to travel through the solar system.

Irving The Rocket Cocktail Shaker

Your favorite bartender will mix up something out of this world with this stainless steel cocktail shaker. It comes with a strainer, cap, and “launch pad” stand, and can be easily stored on any bar cart or in any kitchen cabinet. Each rocket can hold up to three drinks, so feel free to start shaking to take your dinner party to the stars.

6 Piece Space Capsule Window Wall Poster

Don’t keep daydreaming out the window to images of your backyard. These space capsule window wall posters give any room the immediate feel of looking out from your very own spacecraft. With six different designs, feel free to choose which ones to place in your eye line, or outfit your whole room with the posters, so it never leaves your sight.

Mars Dust Globe

While a snowglobe showing a dynamic scene on Earth might be beautiful, this Martian twist on the item is sure to excite any space lover. Instead of snow, the Mars globe has the iconic red dust swirling up around the astronaut duo. This item is perfect for sitting on the shelf or desk of any future colonist.

Space World Dome Tent

Your kids and their friends will have tons of fun exploring the galaxy in this dome tent. Alongside the planets are dates of many major exploration milestones of the Voyager 2. It’s great for indoor and outdoor use, as well as an outlet for imagination. The tent is made of polyester with double stitching to prevent any rips or tears.

How to Astronaut: An Insider’s Guide to Leaving Planet Earth by Terry Virts

This collection of essays from astronaut Terry Virts offers an inside look at space travel from a sometimes-humorous, sometimes-philosophical lens. The former International Space Station expedition commander describes survival training, space cuisine, emergency protocol, and life beyond the blue planet.

Peel + Discover: Space

Your child will have a blast peeling these stickers and learning new facts about space. They can even decorate the activity pages with markers and crayons—possibly creating their own little galaxy on paper. Keep them in the car for when temper tantrums strike, or use them for quality time crafting with your kiddos.

Space Doorway Bean Bag Toss

Your kids will have hours of fun throwing bean bags into different space-themed holes with this doorway bean bag toss. The colorful designs can help your kids learn the names for different space objects, or you can just use it for a classic game of corn hole.

The Space Suit Beverage Jacket

For every beer, seltzer, or soda you want to keep cold, consider doing so with a little bit of astronaut style. This space suit beverage jacket not only comes with an official NASA patch and interior insulation, but also a small storage backpack to keep a bottle opener in.

Spinning NASA Logo Ornament

There’s never a bad time to do a little holiday shopping, and if you’ve got a space nerd in the family, you can’t make for a better tree ornament than this spinning NASA logo. Straight from the Kennedy Space Center, this ornament is the perfect addition for any holiday decorating you do during the season.

Freeze-Dried Neapolitan Ice Cream Sandwiches

Don’t let space travel dampen your sweet tooth. These freeze-dried ice cream sandwiches are built to last in the far reaches of the galaxy, as well as taste delicious right here on Earth. This astronaut ice cream comes in Neapolitan flavor, so you can taste chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla in one sandwich.

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