TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Crowds of people over the weekend tried to catch a view of Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS (Comet A3).  

Taipei Astronomical Museum said Comet A3 is one of the brightest since 2007, per CNA. It takes 80,000 years to orbit the Sun. 

The comet will be visible in the western sky after sunset until the end of October. However, the museum said its brightness peaked on Sunday.

The Taoyuan Department of Tourism said in recent days Comet A3 could be seen from coastal areas such as Yongan Fishing Harbor, Xucuogang Wetlands, and Pig Nose Beach (豬鼻子沙灘). The comet is generally difficult to see with the naked eye, so it’s best to seek out areas with no light pollution.

The tourism department noted the Northern Cross-Island Highway, Fuxing District's Baling neighborhood, and Lalashan foothills have minimal light pollution. 

On Lalashan, the best viewing spots are the Three Swimming Turtles Observation Deck and the Shang Baling Parking Lot. Both locations have adjustable 4K cameras that provide real-time footage to the public that have captured clear images of the comet.

At 5 a.m. Sunday, a black sedan at the Wuling mountain pass on Hehuanshan suddenly parked in the middle of the road causing a traffic jam, per NowNews. Police were called to the scene and used a loudspeaker to find the owner. It was not until 7 a.m. that a couple of foreign tourists, a man and a woman, showed up to drive the rental car away. 

The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said the Orionid meteor shower, which is debris from Halley's Comet, would peak at 2:12 p.m. Monday (Oct. 21), with an estimated 20 meteors per hour. The CWA predicted the meteor shower will last until Nov. 7. 

View of the comet from Fushoushan Farm on Oct. 20.