This model is part of my Solar System Lithophane Lamp Series. As of now, all planets and several moons of the solar system are available as lithophane lamps in five different sizes: ⌀295mm, ⌀205mm (this upload), ⌀150mm, ⌀75mm, ⌀25mm.
If you like my work, please consider supporting me. Your support will help me to make more models available for free. https://ko-fi.com/fritzpeppone. If you like to use my models commercially, please obtain a commercial license by joining my club. The commercial license includes all of my models except those that are based on the intellectual property of others (e.g. the GTA V map lamps) or remixes (e.g. the Death Star or Phobos lamps).
All Lamps have a size of ~ 205mm x 205mm x 195mm. They should print fine on most printers except for small printers such as the Prusa mini or Bambu A1 Mini. You will need around 300g of Filament (preferably PLA or PLA+) per lamp.
The lamps are mounted to their base with a M75x4 metric thread. The idea for the thread and also the thread dimensions are taken over from the Lithophane Moon Lamp with wide Screw Base by The Quicksilver. This means that his moon lamp as well as his mounting options are compatible with my lamps and bases. I am providing multiple different base options that all use the same thread. Choose the lamp of your liking and match it with any lamp base of your liking. All compatible lamp bases are listed below. You may either need a standard lamp base with a E14 or E27 thread or threaded E14 or E27 sockets. Some Bases also require M3 heat set inserts and M3 BHCS screws. There is additionally the option to use a a Bambu LED Kit as base.
There are only a few settings you should tweak in the slicer to print the lamps.
Print in PLA or PLA+
Recommended layer height: 0.15mm
Use the Arachne Perimeter Generator for more precise printing with better details
If you use Arachne, set the minimum line width to 75% to avoid holes!
Set wall count to 5-6 to obtain a solid lamp
Set seam position to aligned
Activate Brim (Outer Brim Only) and set the Brim width to 5-10 mm
No Support required! The lamps print perfectly fine without support. All lamp bases come with in-built snap off supports (where required).
Be aware, that slicing and printing may take a very long time. The STL files can take up to 10 min. to slice.
For Bambu Studio users: Bambu Studio seems to struggle with the Arachne Perimeter Generator. If you are unable to slice a lamp with Arachne, use the Classic Perimeter Generator.
For Cura users: Cura seems to complain about mesh quality with some models and won't slice them (so far only confirmed for the moon). I have yet to confirm whether Cura or the mesh is causing the issue. A possible workaround (thanks to kapasaki) is, to open the STL in Prusa Slicer, save it as 3MF file, open the 3MF in Cura and slice it as you'd normally do. If this workaround does not work for you, the only recommendation I can offer is, to switch to a different slicer.
Attention: the top section of the earth models (earth, earth bathymetry) and mars are tricky to print due to the low number of top layers and the heavy bridging in the top section. You may encounter holes there.
To avoid ruining a several hour or even several day print in the very end, I recommend printing the earth_dome_test.stl model from the Test Prints section. This is simply the top part of the earth lamp. If it prints well, go for the full lamp. If you encounter issues, reduce print speeds or use smaller layer heights for the top section.
This is not a SpeedBoatRace print! Use conservative print speed settings to avoid artefacts! It's totally fine if your print takes one or two days to finish.
Filament matters. A lot! Depending on your filament choice, your lamp may have more or less contrast or a warmer or cooler color temperature. You can also change the outcome by choosing light sources with different wattage or color temperature. The picture below illustrates this:
All of the four Panels above were printed with different white PLA/PLA+ filaments but illuminated with the same 1W LED bulb.
Before starting a multi-day print, I recommend printing the Solar System Lithophane Calibration Panel to test how your print will turn out. You are also by no means limited to white lights and filaments. Check the makes below to get inspired what color and light choices other makers made.
My personal favourite filament and the one I used for all lamps in my photos is Filament PM PLA+ White.
The list below contains all (Dwarf)Planets of the solar system and the sun, turned into lithophane lamps. All of the lamps below are original creations.
There are versions with the thread at the south pole (for standing use) and upside down versions (USD) with the thread at the north pole (for hanging use).
The Sun | |
Mercury | |
Venus Atmosphere | |
Venus Surface | |
Earth Satellite | |
Earth Satellite Bathymetry | |
Earth Fishworld | |
Earth Political | |
Earth Political Bathymetry | |
Earth Topography | |
Mars | |
Jupiter | |
Saturn | |
Uranus | |
Neptune | |
Pluto | |
The list below contains several moons of the solar system, turned into lithophane lamps. All of the lamps below are original creations.
There are versions with the thread at the south pole (for standing use) and upside down versions (USD) with the thread at the north pole (for hanging use).
The Phobos lamp is not part of this upload but available as a separate model. A link to it is provided below.
The Moon | |
Io | |
Callisto | |
Europa | |
Ganymede | |
Phobos | |
The category "other Lamps" so far only contains two models.
Universe Expansion, shows a model of the big bang, as extrapolated by cosmic background radiation. The idea for this model was suggested by Printables user Markus and is based on image data by ESA, showing the cosmic microwave background of our universe.
The Death Star lamp a direct remix of Olivier Popiers Starwars deathstar lithophane lamp. I added the M75 thread and an indentation for the ray.
There are versions with the thread at the south pole (for standing use) and upside down versions (USD) with the thread at the north pole (for hanging use).
Death Star | |
Universe Expansion | |
Printing the Planet or Moon of your choice is only a part of creating your own lamp. You'll also need a Lamp Base to illuminate your Planet or Moon. I am providing several different Lamp Bases, all with a matching M75x4 thread. All of the Bases below will work for all of the Planets and Moons. Except for the Legacy Base, these are original creations as well. The Legacy Base is a direct remix of Frank Deschners's base from his Designer Moon Lamp. I only added threads for socket and lamp. The Bambu Base is inspired by Bambu Lab's lamp base for their LED Lamp Kit. Depending on which base you choose, you will need different hardware for assembly. You will find a detailed BOM and assembly instructions below.
Links to shops are only suggestions on where you can find parts. I am not connected to any of the linked vendors and don't endorse them. Links are also supposed to show you how the required parts are called and look like.
Some lamp bases use snap-off support. The supports look like small ring segments, tabs or cylinders that should be removable with very little force and should leave you with a good surface. They are only tested with PLA/PLA+ filament. Using other filaments may make support removal more difficult.
Bambu Base | |
While I do not want to endorse BambuLab (since I am a huge Prusa Fan), this still is the recommended Base option since it is the easiest and safest to assemble. No electrical skills or wiring mains voltage required. You can get the LED Kit either on the BambuLab Shop or (cheaper) on AliExpress. Simply search for LED Lamp Kit 001. BOM:
Printed Parts:
Assembly:
| |
Puck Base | |
This Base uses E14 or E27 lightbulbs, making it easy to maintain and switch out lamps. Additionally, you can use differently colored lightbulbs and even color changing lightbulbs. Some electrical knowledge (crimping ferrules, connecting lamp sockets) required. BOM:
Printed Parts:
Assembly:
| |
Rock Base | |
The Rock Base is inspired by Kristian's Floating Moon Rock Base. In fact, I even started with a Remix of the original moon rock base. Due to unclear licensing terms of the original rock model, I switched to a different source. This lamp base is based on the High Quality Rocks Asset by P_4_N_D_A. For now, this base only supports the LED Lamp Kit 001. Supports for different sockets may be added in the future. No electrical skills or wiring mains voltage required. You can get the LED Kit either on the BambuLab Shop or (cheaper) on AliExpress. Simply search for LED Lamp Kit 001. BOM:
Printed Parts:
Assembly:
| |
Legacy Base | |
This Base is a remix of the Designer Moon Lamp's Base by Frank Deschner. For this base, you will need a pre-wired, threaded E14 socket with strain relief. No electrical knowledge required. Here too, you can easily switch out light bulbs. BOM:
Printed Parts:
Assembly:
| |
E14 / E27 Adapter | |
This is a set of simple, yet effective adapters, allowing you to mount the lamps to any lamp base that uses E14 or E27 sockets. The possibilities are endless. BOM:
Printed Parts:
Assembly:
| |
If you are interested in Lithophane lamps, consider checking out my other models. Click the links below for the respective models or check my profile.Other models
A big shoutout and thanks to:
moonournation: to my knowledge, the Lithophane Moon Lamp OP, the original creator who came up with the idea.
The QuickSilver: to my knowledge, the first person to add a thread to the moon lamp (I used the same diameter).
Olivier Popiers: The creator of the Death Star Lamp I remixed.
HuaCook: the creator of the Phobos Lamp I remixed.
Frank Deschner: the person to popularize the Lithophane Moon Lamp and creator of the lamp base I remixed to create the Legacy Base.
P_4_N_D_A: creator of the high quality rock asset I used to create the rock base
Markus for suggesting the Universe Expansion Model and ESA for providing a equirectangular projection of the cosmic microwave background
06.12.2024: initial upload
07.12.2024: removed simplified mesh files with lower vertex count due to inconsistencies. For now, only high quality files are available
08.12.2024: corrected orientation for all base STL files
08.12.2024: STEP files for all bases online
10.12.2024: added links to the Christmas Bauble collection
16.12.2024: fixed an issue with the threaded E14 adapter
20.12.2024: added Phobos to the collection
29.12.2024: fixed lamps without chamfer between sphere and thread
29.12.2024: added information regarding print speed, snap-off supports and Bambu Studio
30.12.2024: corrected an issue with the fish world maps where rivers would not end in the ocean
11.01.2025: corrected an issue with ripples on the surface of the venus_atmosphere mesh
11.01.2025: added models of the galileian moons callisto, europa and ganymede and the rock base
19.01.2025: added a test print for the top section of earth and a link to the lithophane calibration panel
24.01.2025: added a link to the new 300mm³ version of the lamps
07.02.2025: added information for possible issues with Cura
16.02.2025: added upside down versions (USD) of most lamps. Still missing are the sun, mercury, venus, saturn and uranus
24.02.2025: added earth political bathymetry, earth topography and universe expansion models as well as a link to the minimalist city map lithophane lamps
02.03.2025: redesign of the puck base (E14) in Fusion 360 and upload of the fusion files.
05.01.2026: fixed issues with the USD versions of Uranus, Venus Surface and Callisto
The author remixed this model.
All files of the here uploaded files, except for the death star lithophane and the legacy lamp base are original creations. The remixes include the following changes:
Legacy Base: direct remix of Frank Deschner's lamp base. I removed the bayonet lock mechanism and replaced it with a thread. I also added a thread for the E14 socket.
Death Star: direct remix of Olivier Popiers' lithophane death star. I added threads to the lamp base and created an indentation for the laser.
The Phobos lamp is a remix, too. Due to conflicting licenses, the files for the Phobos lamp are not part of the collection but only linked.