Kok's galaxy

Kok's galaxy
2bo2bobob$2obob3ob$bo6bo$2o5bob2$bo5b2o$o6bob$b3obob2o$bobo2bo! #C [[ THUMBSIZE 2 THEME 6 GRID GRIDMAJOR 0 SUPPRESS THUMBLAUNCH ]] #C [[ AUTOSTART ]] #C [[ GPS 4 THUMBSIZE 3 ZOOM 27 HEIGHT 470 ]]
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Pattern type	Oscillator
Number of cells	28
Bounding box	13 × 13
Period	8 (mod: 8)
Heat	39
Volatility	1.00 | 1.00
Kinetic symmetry	rc
Discovered by	Jan Kok
Year of discovery	1971
Rules Outer-totalistic rules B3/S23 – B37/S238 # of rules 22 = 4 Isotropic rules B3-y/S23-einy – B2i34kqt5acekn6-k7/S234cekrtwy5-ijnq6eik7c8
Glider synthesis Fewest gliders 8 Catagolue-generated RLE synthesis Uploaded synthesis RLE koksgalaxy_synth.rle
Pattern files Plaintext koksgalaxy.cells RLE koksgalaxy.rle
Identifiers apgcode xp8_4b23021eaz57840c4d2 Pentadecathlon ID 28P8.1

Kok's galaxy is a volatility-1 period-8 oscillator found by Jan Kok in 1971.

Uses in catalysis

Kok's galaxy is one of the strongest p8 sparkers of its size, and is notable for allowing a reaction found by Dave Buckingham and simplified by Bill Gosper that converts a pi heptomino to a heavyweight spaceship when paired with a boat:

x = 54, y = 49, rule = B3/S23 6b3o$7bob3o$6b2o2bo2bo$6b5o3bo$7bo4b3o30b3o$12bo29b3obo$7bo32bo2bo2b2o $6bobo30bo3b5o$7bo31b3o4bo$13b2o26bo$13b2o31bo$45bobo$b2o43bo$b2o36b2o $39b2o2$51b2o$8b3o40b2o$7bo3bo$6bo5bo$6bo5bo$6bo5bo30b3o$7bo3bo30bo3bo $8b3o30bo5bo$41bo5bo$2b2o7b2o28bo5bo$3bo7bo30bo3bo$3o9b3o28b3o$o13bo9b o$22bobo16b2o7b2o$23b2o17bo7bo$39b3o9b3o$29bo9bo13bo$29bobo$29b2o4$18b 2o$15bo$14bobo2b2o$12bobob3o2bo$12bo2b6o$15b2ob2o6b2o$14b6o2bo2bobo$ 13bo2b3obobo3bo$14b2o2bobo$19bo$15b2o! #C [[ THUMBSIZE 2 THEME 6 GRID GRIDMAJOR 0 SUPPRESS THUMBLAUNCH ]] #C [[ MAXGRIDSIZE 9 THUMBSIZE 2 WIDTH 740 HEIGHT 620 ZOOM 10 GPS 15 THEME Book STARTFROM 67 ]]

A p48 HWSS gun using Kok's galaxy and two period-48 glider guns (click above to open LifeViewer) RLE: here Plaintext: here

The period-856 glider gun uses four, which serve as sparkers and also delete gliders.

Glider synthesis

In September 2003 Jason Summers found a 12-glider synthesis of this oscillator. An 11-glider synthesis was found by chris_c in May 2016; several known 11-glider recipes work via perturbing a constellation of two beehives using eight gliders. On December 23, 2022, Chris857 found a 10-glider synthesis for the oscillator based on an occurrence in a symmetric soup. On December 11, 2023, Carson Cheng found two 8-glider syntheses for Kok's galaxy.

x = 48, y = 31, rule = B3/S23 10bobo$11b2o$11bo3$obo$b2o$bo4$25bo13b2ob6o$23b2o14b2ob6o$5bo18b2o13b 2o$5b2o32b2o5b2o$4bobo13bobo16b2o5b2o$20b2o17b2o5b2o$b2o18bo24b2o$2b2o 35b6ob2o$bo37b6ob2o4$25bo$24b2o$24bobo3$15bo$14b2o$14bobo! #C [[ THUMBSIZE 2 THEME 6 GRID GRIDMAJOR 0 SUPPRESS THUMBLAUNCH ]] #C [[ HEIGHT 500 WIDTH 700 THUMBSIZE 2 THEME Book ZOOM 10 AUTOSTART GPS 12 T 0 PAUSE 1 T 80 PAUSE 3 LOOP 81 ]]

8G synthesis (click above to open LifeViewer)

x = 193, y = 169, rule = B3/S23 190bo$190bobo$190b2o23$28bo$26bobo$27b2o11$155bo$154bo$154b3o8$91bo$ 92bo$90b3o21$99bo$98bo$98b3o7$132b6ob2o$132b6ob2o$139b2o$132b2o5b2o$ 132b2o5b2o$132b2o5b2o$132b2o$132b2ob6o$132b2ob6o7$92b3o$94bo$93bo21$ 100b3o$100bo$101bo8$36b3o$38bo$37bo11$164b2o$164bobo$164bo23$b2o$obo$ 2bo! #C [[ THUMBSIZE 2 THEME 6 GRID GRIDMAJOR 0 SUPPRESS THUMBLAUNCH ]] #C [[ HEIGHT 500 WIDTH 700 THUMBSIZE 2 THEME Book ZOOM 6 AUTOSTART GPS 12 T 0 PAUSE 1 T 80 PAUSE 3 T 212 PAUSE 1 T 304 PAUSE 1 T 336 PAUSE 2 LOOP 337 ]]

10G synthesis (click above to open LifeViewer)

x = 79, y = 55, rule = B3/S23 60bo$59bo$59b3o$22bo$23b2o$22b2o6$6bo$4bobo$5b2o$43bo$2bo40bobo$obo40b 2o$b2o23bobo$27b2o$27bo4$70b6ob2o$70b6ob2o$77b2o$70b2o5b2o$70b2o5b2o$ 70b2o5b2o$70b2o$70b2ob6o$22b3o45b2ob6o$24bo$23bo4$66b2o$66bobo$66bo2$ 62b2o$62bobo$62bo6$45b2o$44b2o$46bo$7b3o$9bo$8bo! #C [[ THUMBSIZE 2 THEME 6 GRID GRIDMAJOR 0 SUPPRESS THUMBLAUNCH ]] #C [[ HEIGHT 500 WIDTH 700 THUMBSIZE 2 THEME Book ZOOM 8 AUTOSTART GPS 12 T 0 PAUSE 1 T 24 PAUSE 3 T 64 PAUSE 1 T 120 PAUSE 2 LOOP 121 ]]

11G synthesis (click above to open LifeViewer)

x = 53, y = 37, rule = B3/S23 26bo$26bobo$7bobo16b2o$8b2o$8bo$26bobo$26b2o$27bo6bo$bo3bo26b2o$2bo3b 2o25b2o$3o2b2o4$44b6ob2o$44b6ob2o$51b2o$44b2o5b2o$44b2o5b2o$44b2o5b2o$ 44b2o$44b2ob6o$44b2ob6o4$30b2o2b3o$2b2o25b2o3bo$3b2o26bo3bo$2bo6bo$9b 2o$8bobo$28bo$27b2o$9b2o16bobo$8bobo$10bo! #C [[ THUMBSIZE 2 THEME 6 GRID GRIDMAJOR 0 SUPPRESS THUMBLAUNCH ]] #C [[ HEIGHT 500 WIDTH 700 THUMBSIZE 2 THEME Book ZOOM 10 AUTOSTART GPS 12 T 0 PAUSE 1 T 24 PAUSE 3 T 64 PAUSE 2 LOOP 65 ]]

12G synthesis (click above to open LifeViewer)

Occurrence

See also: List of common oscillators

Kok's galaxy is still yet to occur naturally, but Catagolue has a dedicated badge which will be given out to anyone who discovers one. In odd-width 90° rotationally symmetric soups (C4_1), about 1 in 100000 soups will form a Kok's galaxy in the centre, and in 180° ones (C2_1), about 1 in 230 million soups.

Golly emblem

Kok's galaxy serves as the logo of Golly. Another phase replaces the "o" in the "Golly ticker" animation under Help > About Golly.

The phase of Kok's galaxy made up of 2x2 blocks serves as the logo of Golly

In other rules

• In Pedestrian Life (B38/S23), B8 is triggered in the central cell during one phase, creating a dying spark which otherwise does nothing.
• In B34e/S23, that same phase is completely filled in the center.

See also

• Four blinkers around four blocks
• Achim's p8
• Blocker
• Coe's p8
• Figure eight

External links

• Kok's galaxy at the Life Lexicon
• Kok's galaxy at Adam P. Goucher's Catagolue
• 20 period 8 oscillators 26 bits and larger at Mark D. Niemiec's Life Page (download pattern file: lg/28gy.rle)
• 28P8.1 at Heinrich Koenig's Game of Life Object Catalogs