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Antinous, the Beloved of Hadrian

The constellation of Antinous is an ancient one, devised by the Roman Emperor Hadrian himself. Antinous was a real person, born in the early second century CE in Bithynion/Claudiopolis in what is now Turkey. At that time it was a Roman province and at some point, Hadrian met the boy. Antinous was said to be extremely beautiful and Hadrian was enamoured of him, making the boy his constant companion. However, Antinous's life was cut short when he died in mysterious circumstances on a trip up the Nile in CE 130. Hadrian was distraught, declaring Antinous a god and commemorating him in the sky.

The constellation is located immediately south of Aquila. It was depicted on numerous atlases and mentioned in star catalogues as recently as the late nineteenth century.