"People don't need a professional-grade telescope this time. The meteor shower can be seen perfectly with the naked eye. However, if you want to take photos, bring a tripod and use a wide-angle lens camera. Usually it takes 20 to 30 minutes to take a photo," Li said.
A constellation map is a useful guide for those particularly interested in astronomy, Li said, adding that covering flashlights with red cellophane will help stargazers find their way in the dark without disturbing other people's viewing.
Jim Lee said the Tempel-Tuttle comet made its most recent approach toward the sun in February 1998, and dust from its tail will burn in the Earth's atmosphere as it crosses its path.
The best time for observing the Leonids will be between Nov. 14 to Nov. 21 this year.
The best places to observe the phenomenon are in western Asia, northern Africa and part of Europe since the most will appear at 10am Nov. 14, 1999 in Taiwan local time.
"Last year, we saw fireballs as brilliant as ?2 magnitude, at Tatacha (
Several professional teams will resume their research at Tatacha, a perfect observation site this year.
"It's an ideal site for researchers because there is no light nearby to interfere with photo-taking and observation," said Lee Hsu-tai (李昫岱), a teaching assistant from the Graduate Institute of Astronomy at National Central University.
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