Get lost in space with an out-of-this-world Wallpaper Wednesday

Wallpapers are important. They can give our phone a new feel, even if only for a little while. Some of us change wallpapers as often as we change shirts (sometimes to match), while some of us set one wallpaper and forget it, and that's a shame. A good wallpaper can be a pick-me-up, can remind us of better times (and upcoming times). They can show off what's important to us, be it a picture of the grandkids or an emblem of your favorite house in Game of Thrones. In an effort to brighten your screen, and maybe your day, we present an offering of wonderful wallpapers to grace your smartphone.

If you've got a wallpaper you use everywhere, share it in the comments below! We're always looking for something new. Now get your wallpaper picker ready and see what's in store this week.

Stars

Look at the sky, tell me what do you see?

Looking up at the night sky for most of us treats us to a few brighter stars, maybe the moon, and a lot of darkness. But imagine if you looked at at night to a scene like this? Granted, some of the stars here are closer than any others will every be to Earth, but look at the color, the vibrancy, the activity. Look at all the stars, all the worlds there are out there! This wallpaper makes me wonder about the life, the wonder, the mysteries that are just waiting up in the sky to be found.

Stars

Galaxy Collection from New Revolution

How much life could this galaxy sustain?

The universe is a vast, vast place with with unspeakable beauty. While we keep sending telescopes and cameras out to capture and catalog that beauty, the truth is that we'll never see most of it. Thankfully that hasn't stopped artists from imaging what the farthest reaches of space look like, and this collection of wallpapers shows us galaxies that we may never reach, but that we can at least reach for.

Galaxy Collection from New Revolution

Orion Liftoff by NASA

3... 2... 1...

We're still a few years from Mars, but test flights like this Orion launch get us closer and closer to the red planet. This shot featured on NASA's website from the test flight of the Orion spacecraft may not be blasting off to distant world quite yet, but we know it's coming. And while we can't plaster up a launch that hasn't happened yet as our wallpaper, this liftoff helps remind us the raw power and science that goes into each and every flight.

Orion Liftoff by NASA

SpaceX Launch

Reach for the sky

SpaceX may not be the only game in town when it comes to the new space race, but they are without a doubt the most visible. Their programs are not only helping us get closer and closer to a new age of space travel, they're helping re-ignite a focus on science and technology, especially for the millions of kids (and kids at heart) who watch the SpaceX livestreams and cheered when they had their second successful landing at sea. This wallpaper, like SpaceX itself, reaches for the heavens, to slip the surly bonds of Earth and explore the final frontier.

SpaceX Launch

Just Read the Instructions

Something we all need to do... especially when a billion dollar rocket is on the line.

If you're reading this site, you're probably the person all your family and friends turn to for help with technology. You're the only they turn to when an app won't work or their camera won't save pictures or their computer's making funny noises and smoking a little bit. SpaceX, being run and staffed by smart people who are likely turned to for technological help on and off the clock, have the polite version of the phrase we all want to scream sometimes emblazoned on one of their landing pads. And now you can emblazon it on your screen.

Just Read The Instructions{.cta .large}

Ara Wagoner

Ara Wagoner is a Writer at Windows Central. She's addicted to music and video subscriptions. When she's not writing help and how-to's, she's running around Walt Disney World and singing show tunes. If you see her without headphones, RUN. You can follow her on Twitter at @arawagco.