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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Three Musketeers Falls at Iguazú Falls, Argentina
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A new park with a new mission
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St. James Tidal Pool, Cape Town, South Africa
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New Year s Eve
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American Eagle Day
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Sounds of Bach come to Bath
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Sweet! It’s maple syrup season
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The Kelpies statues in Falkirk, Scotland
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A storied trail marks a century
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Venice Skatepark, Los Angeles, California
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Lanterns alight in Pingxi
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Celebrating whales—and a whale of a tale
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1934 Labor Day parade, Gastonia, North Carolina
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International Day of the Worlds Indigenous Peoples
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International Surfing Day
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Leaves of Grass
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It’s National Walk to Work Day
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Reflecting on fall
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Ring of fire
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Hohenzollern Castle near Stuttgart, Germany
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Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
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Dunes at White Sands National Park, New Mexico
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Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany
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Polar Bear Week
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Who doesn’t love a ‘Puppy’?
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Impala in Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana
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Memorial Day
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World Whale Day
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A notorious gunfight that was incorrectly named
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National Park Week continues
Bing Wallpaper Gallery

