Hi all,
Christmas is over, we've gone back to work, and the decorations are being packed away, the fake Christmas tree is likely to use up the most space in storage, and you only use it once a year! A shame to throw it away, sure, but what other purpose could a fake Christmas tree have?
I hacked my old Christmas tree apart, and built a massive (seriously, this thing is 2m wide) Star Map with a pretty accurate view of the southern skies. There are literally thousands of stars made from optical fibers and white LEDs, and an integrated RF module controls the stars and appropriately red mood lighting.
I can't claim that it's quite as authentic as the local planetarium, but then most don't sleep beneath one!
How to: Build a fiber-optic Star Map
http://i.imgur.com/tqQP3.jpg