Gemini

Gemini
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Pattern type	Spaceship
Number of cells	846278
Bounding box	4217807×4220191
Direction	slope 5
Period	33699586
Mod	Unknown
Speed	2560c/16849793
Speed (unsimplified)	Unknown
Heat	Unknown
Discovered by	Andrew J. Wade
Year of discovery	2010
Rules Outer-totalistic rules B3/S23 only Important rules Conway Life # of rules 20 = 1

Gemini is the first oblique spaceship to be constructed, and was discovered by Andrew J. Wade in 2010. It displaces itself by 5120 cells vertically and 1024 cells horizontally every 33,699,586 generations. It derives its name from the latin, gemini, meaning twins, describing its 2 identical halves, each of which contains three Chapman-Greene construction arms. A tape of gliders continually relays between the two halves, instructing each to delete its parent and construct a daughter configuration.

It is the largest spaceship in terms of its diameter and bounding box, but has a much smaller population than the Caterpillar.

The pattern marks the thirteenth explicitly-constructed spaceship velocity, but facilitates an infinite range of related velocities. For example, Dave Greene has reduced its period by eight generations, whilst maintaining its displacement. Theoretically speaking, a Gemini-esque spaceship could be constructed with any velocity slower than (but not equal to) (1,1)c/580.

Videos

Various zoom levels of gemini demonstrating its size

Some of Gemini's features (with CA music)

See Also

• Replicator
• Half-baked knightship

External links

• New Scientist: First replicating creature spawned in life simulator

• downloadable zip of the Gemini RLE file (Google is not allowing to download the file, but you can Share->Email as attachment to yourself)

• Gemini RLE file with programs used to construct it (on Google docs so download quota may be exceeded by the time you attempt download.)

• Gemini RLE file with programs used to construct it (alternate download on drop.io)