20 Midjourney Prompts for Sci-Fi Planet Landscapes

I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of standing on another planet, looking up at strange skies filled with multiple moons or massive gas giants. Growing up watching sci-fi movies, I would imagine what it might feel like to walk across red deserts or through forests of bioluminescent mushrooms.

When I started using Midjourney, I realized I could finally bring these mental images to life. Here, I’ve created twenty scenes that capture the wonder of alien worlds.

These aren’t just random combinations of words – I’ve included glowing auroras, crystalline formations, ancient ruins, and mysterious alien structures. Some scenes are peaceful, others are dramatic, but each one tells its own story.

I’ve organized these prompts by the type of world they create, so you can find exactly what you’re looking for.

How to Build Prompts

Creating alien worlds in Midjourney is like painting with words. Each word shapes the final image, so I’ve built these prompts using specific patterns that work well together.

Let’s break down what makes these prompts work:

Core Elements

• Setting: I start each prompt by establishing the basic environment – desert, mountain, ocean, etc.
• Main Features: Then I add 2-3 key features that make the scene unique, like “sharp crimson cliffs” or “glowing mushrooms”
• Sky Elements: The sky often includes multiple elements – moons, planets, stars, or auroras
• Atmosphere: Details like mist, fog, or dust clouds add depth
• Lighting: Specific lighting terms help set the mood

Technical Aspects

I’ve added these terms to every prompt to ensure quality:

• “–v 6.1”: This tells Midjourney to use version 6.1
• “ultra-realistic” or “hyper-detailed”: These push the AI toward photorealistic results
• “cinematic”: This helps create dramatic lighting and composition

Color Choices

I’ve found that being specific with colors makes a big difference:

• Use unusual combinations (like “purple and gold-hued”)
• Add secondary color accents through lighting or atmosphere
• Mention how light affects the colors (like “glistening” or “faint glow”)

Tips for Modifying These Prompts

When you try these prompts:

• Change the colors to match your vision
• Swap out sky elements (add more moons, change the nebula colors)
• Adjust the weather and atmosphere
• Mix elements from different prompts

Now let’s look at each specific world type and the prompts that create them.

Categories of Landscapes

I’ve grouped these twenty prompts into distinct types of worlds. Each category creates different moods and tells different stories.

Desert and Wasteland Worlds

The Red Cliffs of Mars

Prompt: Majestic alien desert landscape on a red planet, sharp crimson cliffs, dark skies with swirling auroras, two massive moons hovering in the background, surreal light rays piercing through dust clouds, ultra-realistic –v 6.1

This one came out exactly as I imagined. The red cliffs catch light in a way that makes them look both familiar and alien. The two moons and auroras create an otherworldly feel, while the dust clouds add atmosphere. It reminds me of what early Mars colonists might see from their base.

Ancient Desert Ruins

Prompt: Ancient alien ruins on a desert planet, worn stone structures half-buried in orange sand, faint blue glow emanating from markings, dark sky with a blood-red moon, soft shadows and light, cinematic, hyper-realistic –v 6.1

The contrast between the weathered ruins and the mysterious blue glow creates an eerie mood. The blood-red moon adds to the ancient feel – like finding remains of a long-dead civilization.

The Great Desert Crater

Prompt: Massive desert crater on a red planet, remnants of an alien civilization around the edges, sky filled with faint stars, dark shadows over the dunes, soft light from a distant sun, cinematic, ultra-realistic –v 6.1

The scale here is impressive. The crater’s edge creates natural leading lines that draw your eye to the alien remnants. The distant sun casts long shadows that add depth and mystery.

Metallic Towers at Dusk

Prompt: Desert plains with tall, slender rock towers, reddish sand glistening in low sunlight, dark sky with a massive nebula swirling overhead, sharp shadows cast by rocks, hyper-realistic, surreal atmosphere –v 6.1

The towers here have an almost metallic quality in the low light. I added the nebula to create a colorful backdrop that contrasts with the stark desert scene below.

Ice and Frozen Worlds

Crystal Tundra

Prompt: A vast landscape on a frozen planet, icy tundra stretching to the horizon, colossal crystal formations, glistening under a dark violet sky, blueish fog rolling through, distant stars casting faint reflections on ice, cinematic lighting –v 6.1

The violet sky creates beautiful reflections on the ice. The fog adds mystery and helps show the scale of the crystal formations. It’s like Iceland mixed with Superman’s Fortress of Solitude.

Frozen Ocean Plains

Prompt: Frozen ocean planet, endless icy plains with jagged icebergs, brilliant reflections under the soft light of two suns, dark clouds with pink and blue hues, an alien structure emerging from the ice, ultra-realistic lighting, photorealistic –v 6.1

The dual suns create interesting shadows and reflections on the ice. I added the alien structure to give a sense of story – who built it and why? The pink and blue clouds add color to what could have been a monotone scene.

Volcanic and Molten Worlds

Rivers of Fire

Prompt: Rocky planet with lava rivers, dark volcanic mountains, red and orange glow from molten lava, ominous thick smoke in the air, low-hanging dark clouds with occasional lightning strikes, stars twinkling faintly, cinematic, hyper-detailed –v 6.1

This prompt creates a dramatic scene straight out of a sci-fi movie. The lightning adds dynamic energy to the image, while the faint stars peek through the smoke. It’s meant to feel dangerous and unstable – like standing too close to an active volcano.

Metallic Moon Surface

Prompt: Rocky moon with a metallic surface, sharp peaks and deep craters, enormous ringed planet dominating the horizon, faint light from distant stars, crisp textures, hyper-realistic lighting –v 6.1

The metallic surface here creates interesting reflections. Adding the ringed planet gives scale to the scene – you feel tiny looking up at it. The crisp textures make the ground look almost like brushed steel.

Mountain and Canyon Landscapes

Purple Canyons of Kepler

Prompt: Mountainous planet landscape with deep canyons, purple and gold-hued rocky terrain, dark sky with star clusters and two giant planets visible, faint green mist hovering over canyon floor, 4K, cinematic details –v 6.1

The purple and gold combination works surprisingly well here. The green mist adds mystery to the canyon depths, while the two planets in the sky remind us we’re not on Earth. I picked these colors to feel alien but still natural.

Ancient Moss Peaks

Prompt: Ancient alien mountain range with jagged peaks, vibrant green moss covering rocky surfaces, giant floating crystals glowing faintly, clear night sky filled with constellations, ultra-realistic –v 6.1

The floating crystals add a magical element to what could have been a more standard mountain scene. The moss suggests life has found a way to thrive here. The clear night sky lets us see unfamiliar star patterns.

Gas Giant’s Moon

Prompt: Mountain range on a distant moon, sharp rocky peaks under a dark blue sky, gigantic gas planet with a ring system dominating the horizon, faint auroras swirling, hyper-detailed textures, ultra-realistic –v 6.1

The gas planet takes up a huge portion of the sky – just imagine how that would feel in real life. The auroras add movement to the scene. The sharp peaks contrast nicely with the curves of the planet’s rings.

Aquatic and Coastal Worlds

Luminescent Deep

Prompt: Underwater alien landscape with luminescent corals, alien fish swimming in a turquoise sea, glowing plants reaching toward the surface, faint light from a nearby planet illuminating the depths, hyper-realistic, cinematic –v 6.1

This underwater scene feels like something from Avatar. The bioluminescence creates its own light source, while the planet above adds context. The fish give the scene life and movement.

Alien Coast

Prompt: Coastal landscape on an ocean planet, deep blue waters with alien algae blooms, giant rocky spires jutting from the sea, orange and purple sky with a gas giant visible, soft lighting, hyper-realistic waves –v 6.1

The contrast between the water and sky colors here is striking. The rocky spires break up the horizon line and add vertical interest. The algae blooms suggest this ocean is teeming with life.

Swamp World

Prompt: Swampy planet with shallow greenish waters, giant alien lilies with glowing petals, neon dragonflies hovering over the water, a distant ringed planet visible in the dusk sky, highly realistic, cinematic lighting –v 6.1

I wanted this to feel like a peaceful evening scene. The glowing lilies provide points of light, while the dragonflies add small details to spot. The ringed planet is visible but not dominating – just a reminder of where we are.

Forest and Vegetation

Valley of the Giant Flowers

Prompt: Distant planet with lush green valleys, gigantic purple and pink alien flowers, tall glowing mushrooms, strange plants with transparent leaves, blue sky with twin suns, highly detailed and hyper-realistic –v 6.1

The sun creates interesting shadows through the transparent leaves. The glowing mushrooms add light sources at ground level. I made the flowers gigantic to create a sense that humans would be tiny in this environment.

Zero-G Forest

Prompt: Mysterious forest on a moon with low gravity, trees with massive, drooping branches, bioluminescent spores floating in the air, faint mist covering the ground, dark purple sky with distant planets visible, hyper-realistic –v 6.1

The low gravity affects how everything grows – the branches spread out more than they would on Earth. The floating spores help show this low gravity effect. The mist adds depth and mystery to the forest floor.

Alien Savanna

Prompt: Alien savanna with wide, flat plains, giant mushroom-like trees with luminescent caps, distant mountains under a star-filled sky, faint pink mist in the air, cinematic lighting, ultra-realistic details –v 6.1

Think African savanna but with giant mushrooms instead of acacia trees. The pink mist gives the whole scene an otherworldly feel. The mountains provide scale and frame the scene.

Red Swamp

Prompt: Red swamp planet with bubbling crimson pools, thick, twisted alien trees, bioluminescent vines hanging from branches, misty air with soft green glow, dark sky with multiple moons, highly detailed, ultra-realistic –v 6.1

The contrast between the red pools and green bioluminescence creates an eerie mood. The bubbling pools suggest geological activity. Multiple moons in the sky cast complex shadows through the twisted trees.

Atmospheric Phenomena

Desolate Wastelands

Prompt: Desolate alien wasteland, grey and black rock formations under dark clouds, faint greenish glow in the sky, rust-colored dust clouds rising in the distance, eerie atmosphere, ultra-realistic details –v 6.1

The green glow suggests radiation or some alien atmospheric effect. The rust-colored dust adds color to an otherwise monochrome scene. The rock formations are deliberately stark and lifeless.

Cratered Moon

Prompt: Alien moon with cratered landscape, patches of blue moss-like growth, bright yellow-orange sky from a nearby gas giant, thin atmosphere, stars barely visible, photorealistic lighting –v 6.1

The thin atmosphere means less light scattering, creating sharp shadows. The blue moss suggests life finding a foothold in this harsh environment. The gas giant’s light gives everything an amber tint.

I tried to make each world feel distinct while keeping them scientifically plausible. The key was balancing familiar elements (rocks, water, plants) with alien features (multiple moons, strange colors, bizarre life forms).

When using these prompts, don’t feel tied to the exact wording. Change the colors, add your own elements, or combine features from different prompts. The best results often come from experimenting and making the prompts your own.

These twenty scenes are just a starting point. There are countless other alien worlds waiting to be created. What will you come up with?