People flocked to Nantou County’s Hehuanshan (合歡山) late on Saturday and early yesterday to try and catch a glimpse of a rare comet, leading to traffic snarls on the mountain road.
The mountain was considered a great location to enjoy the comet, and astronomy buffs headed for the Wuling Pass 3,275m above sea level at the foot of the mountain, hoping to see the Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS (Comet A3).
Visitors also hoped to get a view of the sunrise, but were left disappointed due to the rain and mist.
Photo: Screen grab from the Highway Bureau’s surveillance camera on Hehuanshan
The many vehicles left the Hehuanshan section of Provincial Highway 14A heavily congested by early yesterday, leading the Nantou County Police Department to deploy Renai Precinct officers to direct traffic.
Police officers wrote 15 tickets on Saturday and 12 by noon yesterday, including one for a vehicle that was rented by foreign nationals.
The car was illegally parked along the road leading up to Wuling Pass — the highest altitude paved road in Taiwan — and had contributed to the congestion, as no one was in the car to move it out of the way.
Police also reported four traffic accidents on the narrow mountain road on Saturday and two scooter-related accidents yesterday.
Meanwhile, the Taipei Astronomical Museum forecast that following Comet A3, the Orionids meteor shower would be visible early today.
The museum said that early today would be the peak time for the shower, featuring about 20 meteorites an hour, but cautioned that visibility would be affected by the moonlight.
Those in central and southern Taiwan would have a greater chance to see the shower, the Central Weather Administration said.
Orionids are the remains of Halley’s Comet that are drawn to Earth’s gravity, the museum said.
The museum said it welcomes all meteor lovers to stay tuned to its YouTube channel, as it has set up camera equipment at many locations that are free from light pollution to show the shower to the general public.
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