@Xeno66, try looking into the blend modes for the layer that houses the planet. If you want to drop out the black but don't want to cut out around the shape of your element, try the blend modes.

It's kinda' tough to explain, sometime today i'll post some samples to show examples.

PS has quite a few blend modes and they ALL effect your art differently when you change the order of your layers. This means the blend modes are impacted by the "underlying" colors of the images beneath the layer you've applied the blend mode to.

Two that may help in blending layers together are "Multipy" and "Screen". To better understand these, think of two photos on transparent slides. Multiply mode would produce the same effect as holding these slides up to a light. Because light has to travel through both slides it's invariably going to be a darker image. Screen mode would produces an effect that would seem as if you were projecting both images on seperate projectors but pointing them at the same screen. This gives a lighter image.

Out of them all, the one i like most is Overlay. It is one of PS's most practical modes! Overlay favors "composite" pixels, this means the blend mixes the colors evenly without eliminating any of the detail on either layer.

enough rambling!
i'll explain more later with images...

:)
retrocity