Thirteen New Cases in Golden and Comet-Spotting

*Comet NEOWISE as seen from the North Table Mountain Trailhead (map) – Contributed by Chris Davell and Frank Hanou – Click to enlarge Scroll down for information about how you can spot the comet!*

Public Health References
CDC * Colorado * Jefferson County * City of Golden

Coronavirus report from Jeffco Public Health’s Case Summary Page, as of 3PM Wednesday:

Governor Polis has instituted a statewide mask mandate when people are indoors, in public spaces (a store, library, doctor’s office, etc.). The County and City also require that we wear masks in outdoor public places. Learn more…. The Safer at Home and in the Vast, Great Outdoors protocol is in effect statewide. City and County fire restrictions are in place.

Virtual Golden

7:30PM Quarantine Cabaret with Miners Alley Playhouse – Enjoy a night of stellar music, streaming through their great new sound system. Learn more!

Real World Golden

8AM-1PM Golden Farmers Market
9AM Walk with a Geologist at Dinosaur Ridge
10AM-2PM Homestead Open House at the Golden History Park
11AM Brewery Crawl & History Tour
4PM Wild West History Tour

Live Music:
1PM Guild of Ages at Dirty Dogs Roadhouse
4PM Mile High Groove at Wrigley’s
6PM CHILL w/Bill McKay at Ace Hi Tavern
6PM Poor Till Payday at Dirty Dogs Roadhouse
7PM Fooz Fighters at Buffalo Rose

Comet-Spotting for Golden-ites

While nowhere near a “Great Comet”, Comet NEOWISE is still the first naked eye comet to visit us in a decade. It’ll be a good view through July. Here are some tips to see it.

Wait for a clear night and get away from city lights. You’ll need a clear view of the North-Northwest horizon (in Golden, the parking lot of the North Table Mountain trailhead off Rt 93 (map) is pretty good).

Bring a chair, binoculars, and some water (or wine!). If you have a good camera, bring a tripod and a telephoto lens.

The comet “pops” into view roughly 60-75 minutes after sunset. Look for it fairly low on the horizon well below the Big Dipper. It sinks into the foothills an hour or so later.

The comet is moving upward and toward the Big Dipper over the next two weeks, making it easier to find and see.

If you’re into photography, you should experiment with exposures from 5-20 seconds.

What can you expect? Again, it’s not a Great Comet like Hale-Bopp in 1997, but it’s likely the brightest one you’ll see over the next several years and offers a great opportunity to introduce the night sky to family and friends. It’s what astronomers call “diffuse”. Overall, it’s as bright as the brightest stars but spread over an area roughly the size of the full moon (more in binoculars and long exposure photos).

Good luck, and “Clear Skies!”.

Contributed by Goldentoday Photographers
Frank Hanou and Chris Davell
(Thanks, guys!)

Golden History Moment

Photographers have tended to take promotional photos of Golden from approximately the same location. The mountains to the north make a scenic backdrop. It’s interesting to watch downtown develop over time. The earlier photos were taken from the intersection at 13th Street. Over time, downtown stretched south and the photographers moved back to 14th Street. You can see the enlarged version of these postcards on this page.