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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National Moth Week
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A palace for the public
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And the skies filled with bats…
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National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
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Wind horses carry wishes for a new year
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The fishing village of Reine, Norway
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Skógafoss waterfall, Iceland
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Agüero, Huesca province, Spain
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Borobudur Temple, Java, Indonesia
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Three cheers for polar bears!
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Jerte Valley in bloom
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Cinco de Mayo
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Beyond Walls for World Refugee Day
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On a Healing Field for Veterans Day
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Cross this bridge if you dare
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Surfer s paradise
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The Twin Cities celebrate Pride
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World Lizard Day
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Fannette Island, Lake Tahoe
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Bernina Pass, Graubünden, Switzerland
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The citadel in Bonifacio, Southern Corsica, France
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Taughannock Falls State Park
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Siblings Day
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The Battle of the Bulge 75 years later
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Shadows on the solstice
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International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem
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Travel Sunday: Flamenco in Granada, Andalusia, Spain
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Celebrating the first day of spring
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Astoria-Megler Bridge, Oregon
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Glacial rivers in Iceland
Bing Wallpaper Gallery

