Phobos Lithophane Lamp

Phobos Lithophane

I'm very proud to present what is likely the first non-spherical planetary lithophane lamp, representing the Martian moon Phobos.

Most existing lithophane lamps, including my Solar System lithophane series, are based on simple geometric primitives such as spheres or cylinders. In these cases, mapping greyscale image values to surface thickness is straightforward: vertex coordinates [X, Y, Z] are converted into spherical coordinates [θ, ϕ, r], and the image brightness directly modulates the radius r.

Phobos, however, is highly irregular, rendering this approach unsuitable. To generate its lithophane, I used the high-resolution Phobos shape model by Ernst et al. (2023, Earth, Planets and Space) as the geometric basis. Using UV mapping in Blender, a global albedo map of Phobos was projected onto the model surface. A custom Geometry Nodes network then sampled pixel intensities for each vertex and displaced them along local surface normals proportionally to the image luminance.

This method enabled a direct correspondence between image-derived brightness and the complex topography of an irregular celestial body. The resulting model reproduces both the global form and surface texture of Phobos as a physically accurate lithophane.

Requirements

The Phobos lamp has a size of ~ 160mm x 160mm x 200mm. It 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+).
The lamp is mounted to a lamp 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. Match the phobos lamp 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.

Print Settings

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 10-12 to obtain a solid lamp

• Set seam position to aligned

• Activate Brim (Outer Brim Only) and set the Brim width to 5-10 mm

• Use Organic Supports. Unlike my other lamps, Phobos will not print without supports. Auto generated organic supports (buildplate only, 1 interface layer (light)) worked fine for me.

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.

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

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 that I normally use is Filament PM PLA+ White. For Phobos however, I used Prusament PLA Marble.

Lamp Bases

Printing phobos is only the first part of creating your own lamp. You'll also need a Lamp Base to illuminate your Moon. I am providing several different Lamp Bases, all with a matching M75x4 thread. Depending on which base you choose, you will need different hardware for assembly. You will find a detailed BOM and assembly instructions below.

Additional matching lamp bases and remixes of my lamp bases can be found here.

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. This is based on the LED Lamp 001 Base by Bambu Lab. BOM: 1x LED Lamp Kit 001 - via BambuLab or AliExpress Printed Parts: 1x 04_bambu_base Assembly: Simply get the Bambu LED Kit 001, insert it to the Base and screw the Base into the Lamp of your choice.
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: 1x E14 or E27 lamp socket with M28x2 thread, no strain relief - available at (european) hardware stores 1x Lamp wire with switch, 2x 0.75mm² - available at hardware stores 8x M3 threaded inserts 8x M3x8 BHCS screws 1x E14 LED Bulb  Printed Parts: 1x 01_puck_base_E14 or 01_puck_base_E27 1x 01_puck_base_lid 1x 01_puck_base_strain_relief Assembly: Install 8 M3 threaded inserts in the puck base. Use a soldering iron, preferrably with a heat set insert tool Screw in the E14 or E27 socket from the top. Secure the socket with the ring or with glue Insert the ferrules of your cable into the two connectors of the socket.  Install the strain relief with 2 M3x8 BHCS screws. Make sure there is no tension on the cables Pull the cable to make sure that the strain relief is seated properly. You should not be able to move the cable Install the bottom lid and fix it with the remaining 6 M3x8 BHCS screws
E14 / E27 Adapter
This is a set of simple, yet effective adapters, allowing you to mount phobos to any lamp base that uses E14 or E27 sockets. The possibilities are endless.  BOM: 1x Lamp with threaded E14 or E27 socket - some Ikea examples: a ceiling mount, a metal lamp base, a large lamp base and this pretty cheap base. The adapter is by no means limited to Ikea lamps. They just happen to be the lamps that I have at home and I could test the Adapter with. Just make sure that the thread diameter of your lamp is either ~28mm (E14) or ~40mm (E27) and you should be good. 1x E14 or E27 LED Bulb  Printed Parts: 1x 03_E14_adapter_no_thread or 03_E27_adapter_no_thread or E14_adapter_threaded or 03_E27_adapter_threaded if your printer is well tuned, I recommend the threaded version Assembly: Screw the adapter on the E14 or E27 socket and secure it with a nut

Other models

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

Solar System Lithophane Planet Lamp Collection - ⌀25mm	Solar System Lithophane Planet Lamp Collection - ⌀75mm
Minimalist City Map Lithophane Lamps	Natural Pattern Lithophane Lamps
Solar System Lithophane Planet Lamp Collection - ⌀150mm	Historic Greco-Roman Mosaic Lamps
Solar System Lithophane Planet Lamp Collection - ⌀295mm	Solar System Lithophane Calibration Panel
Solar System Lithophane Planet Lamp Collection - ⌀205mm	Multicolor Earth Lithophane - four colors

Acknowledgements

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).

Changelog

• 23.10.2025: initial upload