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:
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Once in a pink moon
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Presidents Day in America’s front yard
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Sunrise at Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
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Why’s it called a spelling ‘bee,’ anyhow?
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Valentines Day
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A perfect day to fly your flag
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A Portuguese fort takes a star turn
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A special day for a special cat
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A peak in the clouds
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Celebrating National Panda Day
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Dreaming of the Tyrrhenian Sea
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Celebrating Flag Day
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Zoroaster Temple, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
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A Christmas market with a long history
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International Women s Day
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National Hummingbird Day
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North Sea at sunset, Norddorf, Germany
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Groundhog Day
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Sailing across the ice
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Sequential images of a total solar eclipse
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Merry Christmas!
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Bathing in the light of Pride
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Apples ready for harvest in Minnesota
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National Lighthouse Day
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Nazca boobies, Wolf Island, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
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Vancouver Coastal Sea wolves, Great Bear Rainforest, Canada
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Women s suffrage at 100
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Green sea turtle on World Oceans Day
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Manatee Awareness Month
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Exploring the Pearl of the Atlantic
Bing Wallpaper Gallery

