Roman Imperial Augustus

Caesar's Comet, also known as Sidus lulium Julian Star, Caesaris astrum Star of Caesar, was perhaps the most famous comet of antiquity, and may have been the brightest daylight comet in recorded history. The comet appeared suddenly during the festival known as the Ludi Victoriae Caesaris that was being held in July 44 BC, just months after the assassination of Julius Caesar, which also happened to be Caesar's own birth month. According to Suetonius, as celebrations were getting under way, a comet shone for seven successive days, rising about the eleventh hour, and was believed to be the soul of Caesar [Suetonius, Divus Julius, 88]. Its seven-day visitation was interpreted by Romans as a sign of the deification of the recently assassinated dictator, and it quickly became a powerful symbol in the political propaganda of Octavian, who was just then launching his career.

Then Jupiter, the Father, spoke...Take up Caesar's spirit from his murdered corpse, and change it into a star, so that the deified Julius may always look down from his high temple on our Capitol and forum." He had barely finished, when gentle Venus stood in the midst of the Senate, seen by no one, and took up the newly freed spirit of her Caesar from his body, and preventing it from vanishing into the air, carried it towards the glorious stars. As she carried it, she felt it glow and take fire, and loosed it from her breast: it climbed higher than the moon, and drawing behind it a fiery tail, shone as a star [Ovid, Metamorphoses; XV; 745-842].