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
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Big Bend National Park in Texas turns 81
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We did not invent this, honest
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You won’t see this on Mulberry Street
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National Find a Rainbow Day
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Aw shucks, It s Oyster Day
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An enduring vision
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Father s Day
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Wyoming celebrates its statehood
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It’s Opening Day for Major League Baseball
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Happy Mother s Day!
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Tufa formations in Mono Lake, California
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Put your flippers in the air…
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Yosemite National Park anniversary
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Square Tower House in Mesa Verde National Park
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Inside the Oculus
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Mexican giant cardon cactus
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Enter the magical world of Livraria Lello
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The Aomori Nebuta Festival parade, Japan
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The wild heart of Tasmania
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World Childrens Day
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Springtime in the Mediterranean
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Italy s submerged village
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An octagonal architectural treasure
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Venice s grand regatta
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Landscape Architecture Month
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Honoring those who served
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200th anniversary of Brazilian independence
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Fog above the forest
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National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
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A unique perspective from Italy’s ‘golden sands’