A man takes a picture on the "Ponton du ciel," a 12-meter-long platform atop the Pic du Midi de Bigorre, during its inauguration on February 10. /VCG Photo

The astronomical observatory is seen from the platform on the Pic du Midi de Bigorre, one of France's tallest mountains in the French Pyrenees. /VCG Photo

Since 1873, the Pic du Midi de Bigorre observatory has been a major site for astronomy, especially the study of the Sun and its planets. /VCG Photo