Per Aspera Ad Astra is the fourth studio LP by Stars of the Lid, made in collaboration with artist Jon McCafferty and released on Kranky in 1998.

McCafferty approached Stars of the Lid with a view towards collaboration after working on a series of paintings inspired by the duo's 1995 debut Music for Nitrous Oxide.

We wanted to craft a sound environment that is both true to Jon's painting as well as the larger New York context which envelopes [sic] his work.

Separated into two sides, Per Aspera Ad Astra reveals precious little of McCafferty's working habits; except for faint rustlings in the background and passing traffic, the environmental portion is whispery and thin.

Deep and warmly atmospheric, with (per usual) few nods toward traditional instrumentation, the pair focus on indie-space music except at the beginning of side two, when a string section provides a brief interruption.