Solar Star Lights and Tree Toppers: Types, Sizes and What to Check

Solar star lights come in three main forms: a single lit star or tree topper, star-shaped string lights, and small star stakes for paths and beds. Pick by where the star goes and whether its panel can reach sun. Then check the battery size and IP rating, since some small stars run on very small batteries.

A star is a classic finishing piece for a Christmas display. The catch with solar is that a star is often mounted high or in the middle of a display, where its panel may not see much sun.

Which kind of solar star do you need?

Type	Best for	Main thing to check
Hanging star or tree topper	Top of an evergreen, porch ceiling, front of a gable	Where the panel sits and how it is mounted
Star string lights	Wrapping bare branches, railings, fences	Lit length and battery size
Star stakes	Paths, flower beds, lawn edges	Brightness and run time per stake

Solar tree toppers and hanging stars

How big should a star topper be?

A useful sizing yardstick comes from Festive Lights, a UK seller of plug-in outdoor toppers. It pairs a 58 cm (about 23 inch) star with trees up to 2 m (about 6.5 feet), a 70 cm (about 27.5 inch) star with trees up to 4 m (about 13 feet), and its largest star with trees up to 6 m (about 20 feet).

On a tall yard tree, a small star can look lost, so check the listed dimensions of any solar star against the tree height.

Where does the panel go on a topper?

This is the key question for any solar topper. If the panel is built into the star, the top of the tree is a sunny spot, but it may be hard to reach to switch on or wipe off. If the panel is on a lead cord, it can be staked on the ground in the sun.

Environmental Lights’ manual for its solar kit asks for at least 8 hours of direct sun and a panel facing south at a 20 to 30 degree tilt. A panel buried in evergreen branches will struggle to meet that.

Moravian stars

The Moravian star is a many-pointed star with a long history. Wikipedia traces the first one to the Moravian Boys’ School in Niesky, Germany, in the 1830s, as a geometry lesson. The classic Herrnhut star, made since 1897, has 26 points. If you find a solar Moravian star, check the panel position and IP rating as with any hanging star.

Solar stars, toppers and star lights

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Star string lights

Star-shaped bulbs on a string suit bare branches, porch railings and fences. They also pair well with plain strings on an outdoor tree, covered in our guide to solar Christmas tree lights for outdoor trees.

Quntis lists its solar star strings in 12.47, 22.94 and 32-foot lengths. It states a 600 mAh battery, an 8 to 10 hour charge, 8 to 10 hours of light after a full charge, eight modes and an IP65 rating.

The battery figure is worth comparing across listings. Capacity is given in mAh (milliamp hours); a larger number stores more energy for the same set of bulbs.

Solar star stakes

Star stakes are small, self-contained lights on a spike. They line a path or dot a bed rather than light it up.

Lumaz’s festive stake set, which includes a star shape, lists 5 warm white LEDs per stake. Each runs on a Ni-MH battery charged by a 2V 160 mAh monocrystalline panel. The maker states an 8-hour charge, 6 to 8 hours of light and an IP65 rating.

Those numbers point to a decorative glow, not a light to see by. If you want a lit walkway, our guide to solar pathway and stake lights for Christmas covers spacing and brighter options.

Comparing solar star options side by side

These are the makers’ own figures for the star products covered above:

Product	Type	LEDs	Battery or panel	Stated run time	Rating
Quntis solar star string	String, 12.47 to 32 ft	Not stated	600 mAh battery	8 to 10 hours	IP65
Lumaz festive stake (star)	Single stake	5	2V 160 mAh panel, Ni-MH	6 to 8 hours	IP65

The difference in scale shows in the stated run times and LED counts. A string of stars suits a railing or a tree; a five-LED stake is a marker.

How to test a solar star before you mount it

Test any star at ground level before it goes up a tree or onto a gable. Environmental Lights’ troubleshooting advice for its solar kit is a good model: charge the panel in direct sun, then place the panel face down on a flat surface so no light reaches the sensor, and switch the lights on.

If the star lights up with the panel covered but not in its planned spot, the sensor is seeing too much light there. Move the panel away from other light sources. If it does not light at all after a full day of sun, check the switch and connections, then the battery.

What does IP65 mean on a solar star?

IP ratings describe protection against dust and water. LINAK’s summary of the standard says a 6 first digit means dust tight, and a 5 second digit means protection against water jets from any direction. Both of the star products above list IP65.

For a topper that sits at the top of a tree through winter storms, IP65 or higher on both the star and panel is the sensible minimum.

How to buy a solar star on eBay

Check the listing for the star’s dimensions, the panel position (built in or on a lead cord), the battery capacity and the IP rating. Photos of the back of the star show how it mounts. Buy new where you can. Lights4fun says rechargeable solar batteries last up to about 600 charges and usually need replacing within 2 years, so a used star may be near the end of its battery life. Check the seller’s feedback and return window before you commit.

Related guides

• Building a whole yard scene? See our guide to solar Christmas yard decorations.
• Compare every display type in our best solar Christmas lights guide.