On November 19, 2002, three astronomers, Jérémie Vaubaillon, Jean Duprat, and François Colas, gathered to observe a rare astronomical phenomenon: a meteor shower. The Earth was passing through a cloud of dust left by the comet Tempel Tuttle in 1776. These shooting stars, actually micrometeorites, were named Leonids because they appeared to come from the constellation Leo. The meteorites were observed and counted using high-brightness cameras, while the astronomers commented on the phenomenon.