To improve the surface thermal control performance of aluminum alloy. Using Y(NO3)3.6H2O as rare earth modifier, ZnO/Y2O3/Al2O3 coating was fabricated on the aluminum alloy surface by micro-arc oxidation technology. The crystal structure, chemical composition and surface morphology of the coating were analyzed by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). In addition, the emissivity and absorptivity of the coating were measured by infrared emissivity meter and ultraviolet/visible/near-infrared spectrophotometer respectively, and then the thermal control performance of the coating and its influencing factors were explored. The results show that the amount of Y(NO3)3.6H2O can significantly affect the structure and thermal control performance of the coating. When the concentration of Y(NO3)3.6H2O is 6 g/L, the emissivity and absorptivity of ZnO/Y2O3/Al2O3 coating are 0.859 and 0.405, respectively, a minimum absorptivity/emissivity ratio of 0.471, showing excellent thermal control performance. Y modified micro-arc oxidation coating can effectively improve the thermal control performance of aluminum alloy surface. This is due to the formation of Y2O3 in micro-arc oxidation process, which can effectively control the morphology, roughness and thickness of the coating. In addition, because of the large band gap of Y2O3, the absorption of ZnO based micro-arc oxidation coating in high-energy ultraviolet band can be reduced.