Sphinx Observatory in Switzerland
© Jan Greune/Alam
A peek at the peak. A viewer with a view
The Sphinx Observatory isn’t the highest astronomical observatory on Earth, but it might feel like it for the lucky travellers who take the train up into the Alps and ride the elevator – inside the mountain – up to the Sphinx. Stargazing is the academic focus, but visitors can take in the sweeping views of the mountains while there. The peak that the observatory sits on is named Sphinx, but on either side of the building are Jungfrau and Mönch, two Alpine peaks that are tall enough to get the ‘four-thousander’ designation – mountains that tower at least 4,000 metres above sea level.
Related Images
Mer de Glace on the Mont Blanc massif, Chamonix, France
Perito Moreno Glacier in Patagonia's Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina
Mount Foraker viewed from Denali, Denali National Park, Alaska, USA
Mount Everest's shadow over the Himalayas, Nepal
Icebergs near Cuverville Island, Antarctica
Ski touring, High Tauern mountain range, Austria
Frozen waterfalls in Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia
Paradise Harbour, Antarctica
Bing Today Images
Sea turtle, Fernando de Noronha, Brazil
Jun 16, 2025
Red fox father and kit, Washington
Jun 16, 2024
Seonam Temple, Jogyesan Provincial Park, South Korea
Jun 16, 2022
Tamihi Creek, British Columbia, Canada
Jun 16, 2021
St. Stephen's Green in Dublin, Ireland
Jun 16, 2020
Ostrich with chicks in Western Cape, South Africa
Jun 16, 2018
Þúfa hill in Reykjavik, Iceland
Jun 16, 2017
