The Glider is the smallest, most common, and first-discovered spaceship in Conway's Game of Life. It consists of just 5 live cells and travels diagonally across the grid at a speed of c/4 (one cell every four generations).
The Glider repeats its shape every 4 generations, but displaced by one cell diagonally. This displacement allows it to transmit information across the Game of Life universe, making it a fundamental building block for complex logic gates and computers constructed within the game.
Gliders are often produced spontaneously from random starting states. In fact, if you randomize the grid, you will almost certainly see Gliders emerge from the chaos. They are essential for signaling and are often used in "hack" attacks on other patterns to destroy or transform them.
Click "Open in Simulator" to see this pattern evolve.