What to watch
- It has a larger moving envelope than the LWSS.
- Its translated phase is easy to see at speed 4 to 8.
- It illustrates a family of related orthogonal spaceships.
Spaceships
Middleweight spaceship
MWSS
A wider c/2 spaceship with a larger body than the LWSS.
The MWSS keeps the same period and speed class as the LWSS while adding more cells and a wider envelope.
MWSS sits between LWSS and HWSS
The middleweight spaceship keeps the same period-4, c/2 orthogonal motion as LWSS and HWSS, but its larger body makes the family comparison easier to see.
Spaceships11 cells6 x 5 boxperiod 4
- Category
- Spaceships
- Period
- 4
- Movement
- c/2 orthogonal
- Population
- 11 cells
- Bounding box
- 6 x 5
- Known since
- 1970
How to use it
Use it to introduce spaceship families and envelope size.
Compare this pattern with its family
Open the pattern in the lab, reduce the speed, and use single-step mode when a phase change is hard to see. The green preview marks births in the next generation; red outlines mark live cells that will die.
Next experiments
Compare nearby patterns
Move between similar structures to see which facts change: box size, lifespan, extinction, motion, and final ash.
Heavyweight spaceship
The broadest of the classic lightweight, middleweight, heavyweight trio.
- Size
- 7 x 5
- Lifespan
- 4
Glider
The smallest spaceship and the standard signal in Life.
- Size
- 3 x 3
- Lifespan
- 4
Loafer
A small orthogonal spaceship with an unusually slow c/7 speed.
- Size
- 9 x 9
- Lifespan
- 7