SEGA TOYS Homestar Flux (Satin Black) Home Planetarium Star Projector

I know it is advertised as a toy which might indicate that this is just a flimsy plastic box that shines pictures that roughly correspond to objects you might see in the sky - NO - This is a serious piece of kit which projects clear, accurate and spectacular depictions of the real night sky along with a whole range of other astronomy images depending on the discs you get. The rotation of the stars is a speeded up but accurate replica of the real movement. It looks like everything is moving around but if you cast it so that the North Star is shining on a mark on the ceiling, you see it doesn't move. I use it for out reach talks and it is brilliant!

The item arrived from abroad in a battered box - the light emitted was low - the image was blurry no matter how you adjusted it - expensive for what it did - returned for a full refund - maybe we got a damaged one?

I don’t understand the complaints on this item at all! This thing is truly awesome... a little pricey “maybe” but it’s still worth every penny in my eyes. The projection is fantastic, once you get used to the dial and sharping up whatever slide you fancy projecting. Can be deemed a little blurry around the edges at times but with the slow rotation it gives, what isn’t in focus will soon become at some point and in no way does this ruin the image at all. I have it set at the edge of the room doesn’t have to be the middle either, very quiet and the shooting star is a great add. I have the “Earth by day with moon slide locked”. I ask Alexa with the aid of a smart plug to turn it on by voice and with some soothing music BAM! at night your instantly taken into Space.....If you did complain about this item may I suggest party lights or fancy flashing LEDs. If you want something realistic get this.

This review may be a bit long but it is thorough and accurate.I saw one of these Sega products about 15 years ago and loved it but it took me till now to shell out the quite large sum of money for it, £175. Before buying I researched other so called Planetariums and read a lot of reviews and misleading sales talk about these products.The Sega products are probably the best on the market if you are looking for something that shows an accurate night sky, not just pretty lights as so many so called "star projectors" do. They are NOT planetariums. The Sega Homestars are the closest you could get to a planetarium in your home.The Flux is the latest version with a 5 watt instead of 3 watt light source. This makes it brighter and shows many stars, too many in my opinion. There is nowhere, even the darkest area, that you would see so many stars with the naked eye. This makes it harder to pick out the constellations unless you put in the disc which has constellation lines on it, but that doesn't look like the real sky either! Perhaps the earlier version which is not so bright and maybe shows fewer stars is more like the night sky we would see in reality.Some reviews or sales blurb talk about 'twinkling stars'. The Flux and the original versions DO NOT have twinkling stars. Sega make a different version of the planetarium which does have a twinkling effect by using an additional disc. Some people have commented that when in rotation the Flux makes a noise. The original version certainly made noticeable noise but the Flux is almost inaudible and if you play suitable music whilst watching (and I strongly suggest you do to enhance the experience) you will not notice any noise. Both the original and the Flux have the shooting star feature which is nice but would be nicer if the shooting stars did not appear in exactly the same place in the sky every time. Not very realistic! Some people complain that the stars get distorted towards the edges of the room. This will be true of ANY planetarium projector shining what is a cone of light onto a flat ceiling. The further from the light source the ceiling is at the edges the more it will distort. Only a domed ceiling would correct this distortion and how many people have one of those in their homes?I am glad I finally purchased it though I do wonder if the cheaper original version would have been as good or better. For what it does I think £175 is over the top. Maybe £60-£80 would be a more appropriate price for something with such limited functionality. I also wonder if a computer projector which could show things on my ceiling like 'Starscapes' from You Tube and amazing pictures from the James Webb telescope would have been better and far more versatile.I hope this review has been of use to you.

Very good little projector. Not too loud so you can fall asleep with it on. Self timer to turn off after x amount of time is good. It is expensive but also the best on the market in my opinion. Just wish there were more options for discs. It comes with 2 and I bought 4 more but at £22 for 2 discs it’s pricey. I can see us using it an awful lot. Has rotation option so stars move and also shooting star setting. Overall my husband loves it and I ended up giving him it early rather than wait for Christmas

If you watch any youtube vids... it looks like the resolution is really good on this flux version. However, notice that they have the projector very close to the wall. Unfortunately, if you have it on a small table pointing at the ceiling, it loses much of that sharpness which cannot be corrected that much, and just looks... Ok rather than great.Being USB 5v chargeable is useful though, so you can put it anywhere.The effect is nice and different slides a must, but Bottom line... overpriced.

This is a fabulous gift for any age. With the projector placed on the floor of our bedroom, the image pretty much covers the whole ceiling. Focussing is straightforward and although the image at the edges it not as sharp as at the centre, it's pretty close. The shooting star feature is a little gimmicky (always in the same place), but the timer and slow rotation is great (you can go to sleep under the stars). The shape and position of the constellations is very accurate and I've learnt a great deal about astronomy in the 3 months since we bought it. This is an excellent piece of kit.

Not worth the price tag. If you have to do buy, don't buy from this seller. Customer service team (or individual seller) were useless and are more like a failed comedy club which will make having any problems resolved a difficult process. Avoid at all costs.