Pliny the Elder (so called even though he was only 56 years old at the time) also died in the eruption of Vesuvius. In his Naturalis Historia, Pliny the Elder discusses how comets should be interpreted based on the shape of their tails: the Pagonias have beards, the Ceratis have horns, the Hippeus have horsehair, and the Argenteus are so bright that one cannot look directly at them (!)
