If you’re a hardcore astronomy lover, you might as well show it off on your desk. We compiled a nice list of cool and unique desk accessories that let you wear your love for astronomy on your sleeve.
There are two main categories for the accessories in this article. The first section will be normal accessories that you just purchase and display. The second set of accessories are ones you can actually build yourself! That way you can tell your friends you single-handedly built a space vehicle!
Bring outer space to your desk with these awesome space-themed desk accessories.
Space Themed Desk Accessories
1) NASA Space Shuttle Model
Probably the most famous partially reusable spacecraft is NASA’s Space Shuttle. This was a low-earth orbital spacecraft. There are six different shuttles: Enterprise, Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavor.
Space Shuttle Discovery had the most flights with 39 under its belt! The shuttle linked above is the space shuttle Endeavor.
If you want to see this shuttle in person, they have it on display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles!
This desktop model is an adorable 1/300 scale of the shuttle alone, without the boosters that are usually present during the launch. The shuttle comes with a nice stand that holds the shuttle up in a gliding position.
The model has the official NASA logo as well. This shuttle is a popular vehicle in space exploration and makes a perfect desk accessory.
2) Solar System Model
This next product shows off our entire solar system! The solar system display consists of 9 different planets in the shape of marbles. Yup, Pluto is in this kit! (There is a Pluto believer behind this product. )
The planets are not to scale relative to each other. If it were, Pluto would either be so extremely tiny that you would lose it in the second. Or Jupiter would be so big that it would take up too much of your desk space.
Interestingly, this kit’s marbles get their planet-like colors from real rocks. They have a diagram showing what each marble is made from. For example, Saturn is yellow from the topaz stone. Mercury is clear, made from clear quartz.
Of course, these are not colors accurate to the actual planets. They just give you a sense of the planets.
These planet marbles come with a clean wood holder which keeps the planets in order and on display. This desk accessory barely takes up any room as it is a thin strip of wood that holds the solar system together.
3) Astronaut Moon Pen Holder
If you want a more casual space-themed desk accessory, this lunar pen holder will get your attention.
This is a simple moon-shaped pen holder with a little astronaut leaning on the moon. It’s perfect for those looking for a cuter space accessory.
With the moon and astronaut being a little animated here, this is a great accessory for kids’ desks as well!
It is a decent-sized pen holder at over 3 inches tall with a 2.3-inch diameter cutout at the top for your pens and pencils. With the astronaut, the entire stand is 5 inches wide.
4) NASA Mousepad
If you are a hardcore NASA fan like me, you’re all about NASA-themed accessories.
This is an officially licensed NASA mousepad for your desk. If you don’t have a mousepad or find yourself using other items as mousepads, this could be right for you.
This has a large official NASA blue logo, along with stars, planets, galaxies, and moons surrounding the logo.
It’s a proper mousepad, which means it has a textured backside to minimize any slipping. It is also a low-profile pad, so you can roll it up and take it with you if needed.
5) Moon Lamp
Moon lamps went viral last year due to how cool they look in real life. Though the “viralness” has faded, these moon lamps still look fantastic.
They are not bright enough to be used as a proper desk lamp, but they make a terrific accent light for your desk.
These lamps are battery powered which makes the moon lamp wire-free! That means you can literally put it anywhere once it’s charged. And you don’t have to worry about needing a plug point or seeing an ugly wire come out of your moon. (That would be so unrealistic).
The lamp comes with an RGB color-changing LED, but only one or two shades of white make this moon lamp look beautiful and accurate.
I guess this gives you the flexibility to do a blue moon, or a blood moon if you really felt like it.
The LED is also dimmable, so you can dial in the perfect brightness for your desk. Because it is illuminated, this might be the most attractive space-themed accessory on this list. It can really give a boost to your desk aesthetics.
This lamp comes in four different sizes, so you have options in terms of cost savings as well.
6) Cork Rocket Pencil Holder
Before seeing this product, I didn’t know a pen holder could be this adaptable. This is a cork rocket pen holder, as the title suggests.
The top of the rocket comes off, and exposes a deep cavity perfect for pens and pencils! The rocket is pretty tall at 11 inches, so be prepared for the height!
It is a cartoon-inspired rocket shape, so you won’t see any resemblance to a real space vehicle.
Where this product is truly unique is the material. Cork allows you to use this pen holder as a pin cushion!
Being a pin cushion means you can hang images, notes, or anything else with a pin. And you can pin stuff anywhere and everywhere, as the entire holder is made from cork, so it’s very flexible.
Get creative and decorate the rocket itself by pinning NASA logos, astronauts, and other decals!
7) Astronaut Book Ends
If you liked our moon pen holder above with the cute astronaut, you’re going to like this one too.
This is a set of decorative bookends with our fellow astronauts holding the books up! Each bookend is an astronaut on a lunar surface with his hands up against the air, ready to hold some books up.
Not only is this great for books on your desk, but for books anywhere else in your office or room. You definitely get bonus points if these bookends are used with astronomy or other science-related books.
8) Constellation Mug
Stargazers are always talking about constellations. You don’t have to look for a dark sky and wait until nighttime to see them with this constellation mug.
This mug is special in that it looks like a normal mug at room temperature. However, when you add your favorite hot beverage, it labels and outlines famous constellations!
When you first buy this, you can make a game out of it and try to spot the constellations. Fill it with hot water to see if you were right!
9) NASA Space Tourism Posters
These posters are some of my favorite graphics in the world of science fiction. Though they are not necessarily desk accessories, they can definitely add to your space-themed workspace.
They have many posters in this genre. One of my favorites is “Earth, Your Oasis in Space. Where the Air is Free and Breathing is Easy”. Such a creative poster pointing to Earth being easily habitable compared to other planets.
There are a bunch of posters in the link above, be sure to check them all out!
Build & Display
The rest of the items on this list are fun desk accessories. They are fun because they require you to carefully build them yourself before you can display them.
This makes you work for the final product which makes the desk accessory even more satisfying. I have a space shuttle version of this product on my desk as well!
These are such well-detailed models, it was hard not to add them all to the list. Find your favorite below and start building!
The end result is a handmade model that you can really be proud of. You’re basically a rocket engineer after building one of these, right?
It will help you build if you have a set of good tweezers. This is also a great project for the family where everyone can build their own together!
10) Space Shuttle
11) Apollo Lunar Module
12) Apollo CSM
13) Mars Rover
14) Hubble Space Telescope
15) Saturn V & Gantry
Before You Go
Here are also some DIY Galaxy-themed projects you can do at home!
