Lobster

Lobster
x = 26, y = 26, rule = B3/S23 12b3o$12bo$13bo2b2o$16b2o$12b2o$13b2o$12bo2bo2$14bo2bo$14bo3bo$15b3obo $20bo$2o2bobo13bo$obob2o13bo$o4bo2b2o13b2o$6bo3bo6b2o2b2o2bo$2b2o6bo6b o2bo$2b2o4bobo4b2o$9bo5bo3bo3bo$10bo2bo4b2o$11b2o3bo5bobo$15bo8b2o$15b o4bo$14bo3bo$14bo5b2o$15bo5bo! #C [[ THUMBSIZE 2 THEME 6 GRID GRIDMAJOR 0 SUPPRESS THUMBLAUNCH ]] #C [[ AUTOSTART ]] #C [[ HEIGHT 600 WIDTH 600 THUMBSIZE 2 ZOOM 18 GPS 4 TRACKLOOP 7 -1/7 -1/7 ]]
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Pattern type	Spaceship
Number of cells	83
Bounding box	26 × 26
Direction	Diagonal
Period	7 (mod: 7)
Speed	c/7 | c/7
Heat	81.7
Kinetic symmetry	/
Discovered by	Matthias Merzenich
Year of discovery	2011
Rules Outer-totalistic rules B3/S23 – B38/S2378 # of rules 23 = 8 Isotropic rules B3/S23 – B2i35ei6ein7e8/S234ce5cky6-an78
Glider synthesis Fewest gliders 129† Catagolue-generated RLE synthesis †Can be constructed with 15 gliders using the reverse caber tosser universal constructor.
Pattern files Plaintext lobster.cells RLE lobster.rle
Identifiers apgcode xq7_ggg0774wguez1130g06mgcc403ju4y1ooz03331oo31gy112w62ec0ac4zy213111igzy4cc0j6mzy831

Lobster is a c/7 diagonal spaceship that was discovered by Matthias Merzenich on August 19, 2011. It was the first c/7 diagonal spaceship to be found. It consists of two gliders pulling a tagalong-like object that then rephases them. It can be infinitely extended, with its wings used as pushalongs It can also burn through one or two rows of blocks.

Lobster was voted Pattern of the Year for 2011 on the ConwayLife.com forums, tied with the fully universal Turing machine.

x = 45, y = 35, rule = B3/S23 11b3o$11bo$2o2bobo5bo2b2o$obob2o9b2o$o4bo2bo2b2o$6bo5b2o$2b2o7bo2bo$2b 2o$13bo16b3o$20b3o7bo$20bo10bo2b2o$9b2o2bobo5bo2b2o8b2o$9bobob2o9b2o4b 2o$9bo4bo2bo2b2o9b2o$15bo5b2o7bo2bo$11b2o7bo2bo$11b2o19bo2bo$22bo9bo3b o$33b3obo$38bo$18b2o2bobo13bo$18bobob2o13bo$18bo4bo2b2o13b2o$24bo3bo6b 2o2b2o2bo$20b2o6bo6bo2bo$20b2o4bobo4b2o$27bo5bo3bo3bo$28bo2bo4b2o$29b 2o3bo5bobo$33bo8b2o$33bo4bo$32bo3bo$32bo5b2o$33bo5bo! #C [[ THUMBSIZE 2 THEME 6 GRID GRIDMAJOR 0 SUPPRESS THUMBLAUNCH ]] #C [[ HEIGHT 600 WIDTH 600 THUMBSIZE 2 ZOOM 10 GPS 8 AUTOSTART LOOP 7 TRACK -1/7 -1/7 ]]

Multiple copies of a pushalong supported by Lobster (click above to open LifeViewer)

x = 44, y = 41, rule = B3/S23 2o$2o2$3b2o$3b2o2$6b2o$6b2o2$9b2o$9b2o2$12b2o$12b2o2$15b2o13b3o$15b2o 13bo$31bo2b2o$18b2o14b2o$18b2o10b2o$31b2o$21b2o7bo2bo$21b2o$32bo2bo$32b o3bo$33b3obo$38bo$18b2o2bobo13bo$18bobob2o13bo$18bo4bo2b2o13b2o$24bo3b o6b2o2b2o2bo$20b2o6bo6bo2bo$20b2o4bobo4b2o$27bo5bo3bo3bo$28bo2bo4b2o$ 29b2o3bo5bobo$33bo8b2o$33bo4bo$32bo3bo$32bo5b2o$33bo5bo! #C [[ THUMBSIZE 2 THEME 6 GRID GRIDMAJOR 0 SUPPRESS THUMBLAUNCH ]] #C [[ HEIGHT 600 WIDTH 600 THUMBSIZE 2 ZOOM 10 GPS 8 AUTOSTART T 0 PAUSE 1 T 126 PAUSE 1 LOOP 127 ]]

A lobster can burn through diagonally placed blocks (click above to open LifeViewer)

Tagalongs

On April 12, 2025, iNoMed found a tagalong for the lobster, based on a spaceship partial rediscovered by Shuich01. It can be added to one or both 'pincers'.

With B4k (in 4K Life), this tagalong is a self-sustaining 11-cell spaceship known as the tubber, and was discovered no later than in a Catagolue haul by 77topaz on May 15, 2018.

x = 33, y = 26, rule = B3/S23 19b3o$19bo$20bo2b2o$23b2o$19b2o$20b2o$19bo2bo2$21bo2bo$21bo3bo$22b3obo $27bo$7b2o2bobo13bo$7bobob2o13bo$7bo4bo2b2o13b2o$13bo3bo6b2o2b2o2bo$9b 2o6bo6bo2bo$9b2o4bobo4b2o$5bo10bo5bo3bo3bo$5bo11bo2bo4b2o$bobo2b2o10b 2o3bo5bobo$2o6b3o11bo8b2o$o2bobo3b2o11bo4bo$bo19bo3bo$21bo5b2o$22bo5bo! #C [[ THUMBSIZE 2 THEME 6 GRID GRIDMAJOR 0 SUPPRESS THUMBLAUNCH ]] #C [[ HEIGHT 600 WIDTH 600 THUMBSIZE 2 ZOOM 10 GPS 8 AUTOSTART LOOP 7 TRACK -1/7 -1/7 ]]

A lobster with the tagalong attached. (click above to open LifeViewer) Catagolue: here

x = 8, y = 6, rule = B34k/S23 5bo$5bo$bobo2b2o$2o$o2bobo$bo! #C [[ THUMBSIZE 2 THEME 6 GRID GRIDMAJOR 0 SUPPRESS THUMBLAUNCH ]] #C [[ HEIGHT 420 THUMBSIZE 4 ZOOM 32 GPS 8 AUTOSTART LOOP 7 TRACK -1/7 -1/7 ]]

The tubber, a spaceship in B34k/S23 (click above to open LifeViewer) Catagolue: here

Synthesis

In May 2026, TigerCub414 made progress on a synthesis of lobster. Prior to lobster having a known synthesis, Goldtiger997 found ways to attach the wing pushalong and tubber tagalong to lobster. Goldtiger997 completed a final synthesis step on June 1. Over the course of that day and the next, a collaborative effort by Goldtiger997, Chris857, iNoMed, KtT, and vilc completed the synthesis and then reduced the cost by 57 gliders.

External links

• Lobster at the Life Lexicon
• Lobster at Adam P. Goucher's Catagolue