Sphinx Observatory
{{Infobox Observatory
|name = Sphinx Observatory
|image = Sphinx Observatorium.jpg
|size =
|caption =
|organization =
|code =
|location = Valais, SwitzerlandThe [https://s.geo.admin.ch/902ffbd9bd Sphinx] on the Swiss National Map
|coords = {{coord|46|32|51|N|7|59|6|E|region:CH_type:landmark_source:dewiki|display=inline,title}}
|altitude = {{convert|3571|m|ft|abbr=on}}
|weather =
|established = 1937
|website = {{URL|http://www.hfsjg.ch}}
|telescope1_name = Astronomical dome
|telescope1_type = {{Convert|76|cm|in|2|abbr=on}} [http://www.hfsjg.ch/jungfraujoch/infrastructure/sphinx.html "The observation instrument in the astronomical dome is a 76 cm telescope with Cassegrain and Coudé focus"], Bern, Switzerland: International Foundation High Altitude Research Stations.
}}
The Sphinx Observatory is an astronomical observatory located above the Jungfraujoch in Switzerland. It is named after the Sphinx, a rocky summit on which it is located. At {{convert|3,571|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} above mean sea level, it is one of the highest observatories in the world. Accessible to the public, it is also the second highest observation deck in Switzerland. The mountain top has been tunneled to fit an elevator which ascends to the observatory from the Jungfraujoch railway station, the highest such train station in Europe. The building is located on the Valais side of the border, only a few metres from the canton of Bern, although it is accessed via the Jungfrau Railway from the Bernese Oberland.
The open viewing deck accessible to the public is adjacent to the observatory. It offers views of the Jungfrau, Mönch, and Eiger peaks, all within a few kilometers.
Science
The scientific part of the Sphinx observatory includes two large laboratories, a weather observation station, a workshop, two terraces for scientific experiments, and an astronomical as well as a meteorological cupola. The astronomical cupola is equipped with a 76 cm telescope with Cassegrain and Coudé focus.
The observatory plays an important role in a range of long-term experiments; it serves as a solar spectrometer for the Institute of Astrophysics and Geophysics at the University of Liège, Belgium, and plays a key role in a LIDAR experiment conducted by the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland. In 1949, nuclear emulsion plates exposed to cosmic rays in the observatory provided first precise evidence for the existence of the charged K-meson.
In popular media
The observatory can be seen in the movies The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Hero: Love Story of a Spy and Krrish 3.
It was visited in season 22 of the American reality competition series The Amazing Race during their visit to Switzerland in Leg 8.{{cite web|url=https://www.realitytvworld.com/news/the-amazing-race-eliminates-chuck-mccall-and-wynona-mccall-14675.php|title='The Amazing Race' eliminates Chuck McCall and Wynona McCall|work=Reality TV World|last=Kwiatkowski|first=Elizabeth|date=April 15, 2013|accessdate=January 1, 2020}}
It also appears in the 2016 videogame Steep{{cite web |url=http://steep.ubisoft.com/game/en-GB/home/index.aspx |title=Steep official site: on PS4, Xbox One & PC this December 2016 |publisher=Ubisoft (UK) |accessdate=December 4, 2018}} and as the setting for a conference called The Meadows in the final episode of The Pentaverate.
A 2019-2020 Korean Drama, "Crash Landing on You" has the lead couple visit the Observatory in episode 16.
The observatory served as heavy inspiration for one that appears in 2025 videogame Abiotic Factor. It is depicted under the name "Voussoir Facility", and is owned and operated by Garrick Advanced Technology Enterprises. The observatory is vital to the progression of the story as it contains the first instances of an item that must be collected by the player to advance to the next level of the game.
Gallery
File:Eiger Mönch Jungfrau 01.jpg|The Eiger (left), Mönch (middle) and Jungfrau (right) massif. The observatory is located on the saddle between the Mönch and Jungfrau {{nowrap|(see image with description labels).}}
File:Moench Jungfrau.jpg|The Mönch (left) and the Jungfrau (right). The Sphinx observatory can be seen in the middle, on the saddle between the two summits.
File:Jungfreijoch.jpg
Guggigletscher - 2023-07-19 - 10-18-40.jpg|The Guggigletscher seen from the platform of the observatory
See also
References
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External links
{{Commons category}}
- [http://www.hfsjg.ch High Altitude Research Stations Jungfraujoch and Gornergrat (HFSJG)]
Category:Astronomical observatories in Switzerland
Category:Buildings and structures in Valais
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