Some perspective

On Saturday morning, at 4AM, the Aurigid meteor shower will light up the skies on the West Coast. This, like many other meteor storms, are caused by dust left over from comets that pass Earth's orbit.

According to MSN, "this comet previously swept passed the sun sometime around the year 82 BC (when Julius Caesar was alive). Jenniskens and Vaubaillon calculated that a trail of dust released by the comet at that 82 B.C. visit will run smack into Earth's path when our planet passes by on September 1."