Comet chasers cause traffic congestion on Hehuanshan

Taipei, Oct. 20 (CNA) Crowds of people flooded Hehuanshan in central Taiwan late Saturday and early Sunday to try and catch a glimpse of a rare comet, leading to traffic snarls on the mountain road.

The mountain, situated in Nantou County just across the border with Hualien County, was considered a great location to enjoy the comet, and crowds of astronomy buffs headed for the Wuling Pass 3,275 meters above sea level at the foot of the mountain, hoping to see the Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS (Comet A3).

Aside from chasing the comet, visitors also drove toward the mountain late Saturday and early Sunday hoping to get a view of the sunrise, but they were disappointed on both counts due to rain and mist in the area.

The many vehicles left the Hehuanshan section of Provincial Highway 14A heavily congested by early Sunday, leading the Nantou County Police Department to deploy Renai Precinct officers to direct traffic.

Police officers wrote out 15 tickets on Saturday and 12 by noon Sunday, including one for a black vehicle that was rented by foreign nationals.

The vehicle was apparently illegally parked along the road leading up to the Wuling Pass -- the highest altitude paved road in Taiwan -- and 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 on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Taipei Astronomical Museum forecast that following Comet A3, the Orionids meteor shower will be able to be seen early Monday.

The museum said early Monday would be the peak time for the shower, featuring about 20 meteorites an hour, but it cautioned that visibility will be affected by the moonlight.

According to the Central Weather Administration, the public in central and southern Taiwan will have a greater chance to get a look of the shower.

Orionids are a remains of Halley's Comet that are drawn to Earth's gravity, according to the museum.

The museum said it welcomes all meteor lovers to stay tuned to its live Youtube channel as it has set up camera equipment at many locations that are free from light pollution to bring the shower to the general public.