The Sphinx Observatory isn’t the highest astronomical observatory on Earth, but it might feel like it to the lucky travelers who visit. To reach the observatory, they take a train up into the Alps, alight at Europe’s highest railway station, and ascend in an elevator tunneled inside the mountain. Once on top, stargazing is the academic focus, but visitors can take in sweeping views from the Sphinx’s 11,716-foot vantage. On either side are the Jungfrau and the Mönch, both members of the ‘four-thousander’ club—mountains that tower at least 4,000 meters (that’s 13,123 feet) above sea level.
A viewer with a view
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
-
Tafilalet oasis in Morocco
-
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah
-
Birthplace of Roman emperors
-
3, 2, 1 … Happy New Year!
-
Knuthöjdsmossen, a nature reserve in Sweden
-
Atolls in the Maldives
-
Hemingway’s Keys
-
Sweet! It’s maple syrup season
-
Seventeen arches at sunset
-
Ancient art in the Amazon
-
Happy birthday to the Peak!
-
‘The mountains are calling’
-
International Surfing Day
-
Keep shining
-
Tambopata National Reserve, Peru
-
National Llama Day
-
International Moon Day
-
Hnausapollur crater lake, Fjallabak Nature Reserve, Iceland
-
Celebrate International Women’s Day
-
Bird’s-eye view of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California
-
Happy Panda Day!
-
Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, East Java, Indonesia
-
Christmas tree at Crystal Pier, San Diego, California
-
Pont Rouge
-
Ring-tailed lemur
-
Art abounds at the Palais Garnier
-
Arches National Park anniversary
-
National Public Lands Day
-
Reflecting on one of the world s strangest rivers
-
A light on National Hispanic Heritage Month
Bing Wallpaper Gallery

