Starry Night Matterhorn Moon Lake Reflection, Switzerland

Moon over the Matterhorn

On a crisp, clear enough night in the Alps, even top-biller mountains like the Matterhorn are no longer stars of the show. Europe's most famous mountain range is something of a haven for stargazers in a densely populated continent: Viewed on a light pollution map, it's an island of relatively low interference amid Western Europe's hundreds of high-population bright spots. Great viewpoints here in Switzerland are as numberless as the stars, and mirror lakes like Stellisee offer double the spectacle as they reflect stellar scenes above. Of course, a full moon can be a bit of a star spoiler—but adds its own splash of bright beauty.