Science Can Solar System Planetary Projector review

It’s unfair to call the Science Can Solar System Planetarium Projector a star projector. While it does have a projector function built in, it’s not the primary feature. Rather, this is one of the best solar system kits that we’ve seen, perfectly targeted to young children to teach them about the planets.

The model features the sun, with all eight planets that can be manually rotated around it. The base has a built-in speaker, and by pressing a touch-sensitive button relating to one of the planets, you’ll get to hear a short educational blurb about the planet in question.

The projector here is essentially an added bonus, but it’s a nice touch. The sun, in the center of the model, also doubles as a projector. Three image disks are included, each featuring eight images, allowing you quick and easy access to 24 different images. You can see scientific projections of each of the planets, along with a range of other space-themed imagery, such as rockets, astronauts, rovers, asteroids and more.

So while this might not be a good choice if you’re an adult looking for one of the best space projectors to relax with, it’s a fantastic option if you’re shopping for a young child who has a burgeoning interest in space. Read our full review below to see what makes the Science Can Solar System Planetarium Projector such a great educational tool.

Science Can Solar System Planetary Projector review: Design

• Colorful and attractive design
• Lightweight and potentially delicate
• Very easy to use

With a dark purple base and a series of bright, colorful planets, the Science Can Solar System Planetarium Projector looks fantastic. It’s bound to catch the eye of any youngster with an interest in space — particularly once the included stickers have been applied to the base.

It’s really easy to use, too. The model is already set up in the box, so there’s nothing to do except plug in the planet ‘tree’ to the base. Simply add some batteries, and it’s ready to go. The ‘on’ switch is on the base, which also allows you to change between English and Spanish. Pressing the touch-sensitive buttons on the base will provide a spoken description of each planet, and a projection disk can be placed into the slot on the side of the sun to instantly project a small image on the ceiling.

Unless you pick the model up and hold it sideways, you can only project on the ceiling, which, given the type of images, isn’t the best. They’d likely be better on a wall, allowing kids to easily examine the planets and space-themed images. The model is certainly light enough to be picked up and held at an angle — our concern is that it’s perhaps a little too light and flimsy. We’re not sure how many times it would withstand being knocked or dropped. Make sure your kids use this one with care, then.

Science Can Solar System Planetary Projector review: Performance

• Built-in voice that introduces each planet in Spanish or English
• Projector has limited reach and functionality
• Planets can be rotated around the sun

There’s no controllable speaker as such built into the Science Can Solar System Planetarium Projector, but it does have a voice that speaks at the touch of a button. You can opt for a Spanish or English voice, which provides a short description of each of the eight planets of the solar system. The base has eight touch-sensitive points, marked out by images of the planets. They’re easy to touch by accident though, so we feel that actual buttons might have been a better choice.

The plants can be rotated by hand, with each one fixed to the base by a plastic branch. The planets are appropriately sized and distanced from the sun to give a true representation of the solar system, which we love. The Science Can Solar System Planetarium Projector has a 3+ age rating, but we think this would be great for kids all the way through elementary school.

We wish the projector were a bit more powerful: As it is, it feels like an afterthought rather than a primary function of the toy. Having 24 images to choose from is great, but the images are small and bordered with a thick line, so it’s impossible to create any ambient projection of the night sky. The range of images is great, and we particularly love the disk containing all eight planets. They’re clear and vivid once the projector has been put into focus (easy to do by turning a wheel), but we just wish the projections could be a bit bigger and more immersive.

Science Can Solar System Planetary Projector review: Functionality

• No mains/USB power — battery only
• 24 interchangeable projection image disks
• Attractive models of each of the planets

The Science Can Solar System Planetarium Projector can only be powered by a battery, which threw us a little bit: We’re so used to connecting star projectors via USB. You’ll need 3x AA batteries to bring this one to life, and you’ll need a screwdriver to access the battery compartment on the underside of the base.

Once the batteries are in, though, the toy springs to life, with power going to the projector and the voice descriptions of the planets becoming available. Just make sure you turn the device off at the switch to ensure the batteries don’t run out too quickly.

You don’t need power to enjoy the planetary model by itself, however. The models of the planets are attractive, and each ‘stem’ can be moved independently, requiring no power to do so.

Should you buy the Science Can Solar System Planetary Projector?

If you’re looking for a dedicated star projector, chances are the Science Can Solar System Planetarium Projector isn’t going to cut it. The projector here is rather weak and is a secondary function to everything else offered by this solar system model. We’d recommend opting for something like the Hommkiety Galaxy Projector or the Brainstorm Toys Deep Space Home Planetarium.

If you want an educational tool that can teach children about the solar system, however, then this is a fantastic choice. The model itself is colorful and fun, and the built-in voice, which provides descriptions about each of the planets, is a very nice touch. The projector itself is a welcome extra, featuring 24 individual projections of planets, celestial objects and other space-themed images. They’re just not big or immersive enough for the Science Can Solar System Planetarium Projector to be a go-to star projector.