The ˈDräɡənˈflī is one of 48 constellations in the serpent-shaped galaxy Mboike, located between the Andromeda and Maffei 1 galaxies. Mboike and Maffei 1 are destined to collide around 2.3 billion years before Andromeda’s expected collision with the Milky Way – an event that may also affect the speed of the second collision.
Located at the centre of the Mboike galaxy, ˈDräɡənˈflī is the only constellation of this galaxy visible with the naked eye from the planet Earth. When seen from the southern hemisphere, the constellation appears very close to the horizon, making its contours bright and easy to discern.
Composed of one nebula and 7 stars, its shape resembles a ˈdräɡənˈflī creature, giving the constellation its name. A ˈdräɡənˈflī is an ancient creature, having existed for more than 300 million years. Its morphology has barely changed during its long existence, apart from becoming smaller. Its ancestors were giant flying creatures. The ˈdräɡənˈflī represents change and transformation. In the northern hemisphere, the ˈdräɡənˈflī is rarely seen, yet its appearance still has great importance, marking the transition from winter to spring, and celebrated as the renewal of life force.
The ˈdräɡənˈflī has an amazing flight technology. Each of its four wings can move independently, allowing the ˈdräɡənˈflī to fly in all six directions: up, down, right, left, forward and backwards. It is one of the very few creatures that can fly backwards.
These remarkable flying abilities contribute to the ˈdräɡənˈflī being the greatest hunter of all. Its hunting strategy is interception, it can predict where its prey will be while both creatures are in motion. The ˈdräɡənˈflī does not chase the prey, instead, it predicts the spot where the prey will be in the next few seconds and intercepts it there. The appearance of the ˈdräɡənˈflī constellation in the southern sky announces the hunting season.
The ˈdräɡənˈflī’s eyes are bigger than their heads, composed of approximately 30,000 mini telescopes that capture different wavelengths of light. They can visually perceive all 360 degrees. 1This super-sensitive visual awareness makes them ideal guardians of the portals to other realms. The ˈDräɡənˈflī ‘constellation is the portal to the Mboike Galaxy and is the visual representation of the PhD artistic research project environment embodiment – towards poetic narratives.
