[Vaquero]

Long ago, people thought that comets were bad omens that brought bad luck. They were terrified when a comet appeared in the sky; bright comets were considered signs of war, disease, and other disasters

Seems that they still are bad omens.

[Max in Utah]

Long ago, people thought that comets were bad omens that brought bad luck.

Those traditions probably come from folklore of a long-ago comet impacting upon the earth.

[blam]

"Seems that they still are bad omens."

They have hit us in the past. Apparently so far in the past that 'a bad omen' is the only remnant left in the collective memory of humans.