Sphinx Observatory

The Sphinx Observatory perches above the Jungfraujoch in the Swiss Alps, at 3,571 metres one of the highest astronomical observatories in the world.

About the Sphinx Observatory

Founded in 1937 and named after the rocky Sphinx summit it sits on, the observatory is reached by an elevator tunnelled up from the Jungfraujoch railway station, the highest train station in Europe. Its open viewing deck, the second-highest observation deck in Switzerland, is open to the public and looks out over the Jungfrau, Mönch, and Eiger peaks.

History

The high-altitude site has long attracted physicists as well as astronomers: cosmic ray nuclear emulsion plates exposed here provided the first evidence for the charged K-meson in 1949, a landmark result in particle physics.

Telescopes & research

Research carried out at the Sphinx has included solar spectrometry for the University of Liège, LIDAR experiments run by the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, astronomical observations with a 76 cm Cassegrain/Coudé telescope, and ongoing meteorological monitoring.

Location & getting there

The observatory sits on the Valais side of the border with canton Bern, though it's reached via the Jungfrau Railway from the Bernese Oberland, one of the most dramatic train journeys in the Alps.

Visiting the Sphinx Observatory

The public viewing deck next to the observatory is open to visitors arriving via the Jungfraujoch railway; check the railway and observatory's official information for current access and conditions before you travel, as high-altitude weather can affect opening.

See your named star from here

At 3,571 metres, above much of the atmosphere's haze, the Sphinx Observatory sits closer to the stars than almost anywhere else in Europe, a fitting place to imagine looking for a star named through Star Register. Browse our star packages or the catalogue of named stars.