diff --git a/src/core/StelTexture.cpp b/src/core/StelTexture.cpp
index 56dc2231c7072..f3b2ae539dfcd 100644
--- a/src/core/StelTexture.cpp
+++ b/src/core/StelTexture.cpp
@@ -39,13 +39,19 @@
 # define GL_TEXTURE_MAX_ANISOTROPY 0x84FE
 #endif
 
-StelTexture::StelTexture(StelTextureMgr *mgr)
-	: textureMgr(mgr)
+QPointer<StelTextureMgr> StelTexture::textureMgr;
+
+StelTexture::StelTexture()
 {
 }
 
 StelTexture::~StelTexture()
 {
+	// Don't try to access texture manager or OpenGL context if texture
+	// manager has been deleted, because at this point we are shutting
+	// down, and the OpenGL context may have also been deleted.
+	if (!textureMgr) return;
+
 	if (id != 0)
 	{
 		/// FS: make sure the correct GL context is bound!
@@ -228,6 +234,7 @@ template <typename T, typename...Params, typename...Args>
 void StelTexture::startAsyncLoader(T (*functionPointer)(Params...), Args&&...args)
 {
 	Q_ASSERT(loader==Q_NULLPTR);
+	if (!textureMgr) return;
 	//own thread pool supported with Qt 5.4+
 	loader = new QFuture<GLData>(QtConcurrent::run(textureMgr->loaderThreadPool,
 	                                               functionPointer, std::forward<Args>(args)...));
@@ -379,6 +386,11 @@ QByteArray StelTexture::convertToGLFormat(QImage image, GLint& format, GLint& ty
 
 bool StelTexture::glLoad(const GLData& data)
 {
+	// Don't try to access texture manager or OpenGL context if texture
+	// manager has been deleted, because at this point we are shutting
+	// down, and the OpenGL context may have also been deleted.
+	if (!textureMgr) return false;
+
 	if (data.data.isEmpty())
 	{
 		reportError(data.loaderError.isEmpty() ? "Unknown error" : data.loaderError);
diff --git a/src/core/StelTexture.hpp b/src/core/StelTexture.hpp
index ceb34263017b6..e24b9531ff30d 100644
--- a/src/core/StelTexture.hpp
+++ b/src/core/StelTexture.hpp
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
 
 #include <QOpenGLFunctions>
 #include <QSharedPointer>
+#include <QPointer>
 #include <QObject>
 #include <QImage>
 
@@ -143,7 +144,7 @@ private slots:
 	static GLData loadFromData( const QByteArray &data, const int decimateBy);
 
 	//! Private constructor
-	StelTexture(StelTextureMgr* mgr);
+	StelTexture();
 
 	//! Wrap an existing GL texture with this object
 	void wrapGLTexture(GLuint texId);
@@ -173,7 +174,7 @@ private slots:
 	void startAsyncLoader(T (*functionPointer)(Params...), Args&&...args);
 
 	//! The parent texture manager
-	StelTextureMgr* textureMgr = nullptr;
+	static QPointer<StelTextureMgr> textureMgr;
 
 	QOpenGLFunctions* gl = nullptr;
 	StelTextureParams loadParams;
diff --git a/src/core/StelTextureMgr.cpp b/src/core/StelTextureMgr.cpp
index f16f2729fa628..b57a4f2be5487 100644
--- a/src/core/StelTextureMgr.cpp
+++ b/src/core/StelTextureMgr.cpp
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@ StelTextureMgr::StelTextureMgr(QObject *parent)
 	ctx->functions()->glGetIntegerv(GL_MAX_TEXTURE_SIZE, &maxTexSize);
 	if (maxTexSize<8192)
 		qDebug() << "Max texture size:" << maxTexSize;
+	StelTexture::textureMgr = this;
 }
 
 StelTextureSP StelTextureMgr::createTexture(const QString& afilename, const StelTexture::StelTextureParams& params)
@@ -67,7 +68,7 @@ StelTextureSP StelTextureMgr::createTexture(const QString& afilename, const Stel
 	StelTextureSP cache = lookupCache(canPath);
 	if(!cache.isNull()) return cache;
 
-	StelTextureSP tex = StelTextureSP(new StelTexture(this));
+	StelTextureSP tex = StelTextureSP(new StelTexture);
 	tex->fullPath = canPath;
 
 	QImage image(tex->fullPath);
@@ -159,7 +160,7 @@ StelTextureSP StelTextureMgr::createTextureThread(const QString& url, const Stel
 	StelTextureSP cache = lookupCache(canPath);
 	if(!cache.isNull()) return cache;
 
-	StelTextureSP tex = StelTextureSP(new StelTexture(this));
+	StelTextureSP tex = StelTextureSP(new StelTexture);
 	tex->loadParams = params;
 	tex->fullPath = canPath;
 	if (!lazyLoading)
@@ -175,7 +176,7 @@ StelTextureSP StelTextureMgr::createTextureThread(const QString& url, const Stel
 //! Create a texture from a QImage.
 StelTextureSP StelTextureMgr::createTexture(const QImage &image, const StelTexture::StelTextureParams& params)
 {
-	StelTextureSP tex = StelTextureSP(new StelTexture(this));
+	StelTextureSP tex = StelTextureSP(new StelTexture);
 	tex->loadParams = params;
 	bool r = tex->glLoad(image);
 	Q_ASSERT(r);
@@ -202,7 +203,7 @@ StelTextureSP StelTextureMgr::wrapperForGLTexture(GLuint texId)
 
 
 	//no existing tex with this ID found, create a new wrapper
-	StelTextureSP newTex(new StelTexture(this));
+	StelTextureSP newTex(new StelTexture);
 	newTex->wrapGLTexture(texId);
 	if(!newTex->errorOccured)
 	{
@@ -230,7 +231,7 @@ StelTextureSP StelTextureMgr::getDitheringTexture(const int samplerToBindTo)
 
 	const auto texId = ForTextureMgr::makeDitherPatternTexture(gl);
 
-	ditheringTexture.reset(new StelTexture(this));
+	ditheringTexture.reset(new StelTexture);
 	ditheringTexture->wrapGLTexture(texId);
 	if(!ditheringTexture->errorOccured)
 	{
diff --git a/src/core/StelTextureMgr.hpp b/src/core/StelTextureMgr.hpp
index e623f467841a3..44bab49e0b189 100644
--- a/src/core/StelTextureMgr.hpp
+++ b/src/core/StelTextureMgr.hpp
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ class QThreadPool;
 //! @class StelTextureMgr
 //! Manage textures loading.
 //! It provides method for loading images in a separate thread.
-class StelTextureMgr : QObject
+class StelTextureMgr : public QObject
 {
 	Q_OBJECT
 public: