A 10-glider synthesis of 1 beacon. In October 2014, Ivan Fomichev found an 8-glider synthesis for this pattern based on a soup from Adam P. Goucher's apgsearch script. Tanner Jacobi later found a 7-glider synthesis.

1 beacon is about the thirty-second most common naturally-occurring oscillator in Achim Flammenkamps census, being slightly less common than the cis-beacon up on long bookend, approximately as common as the cis-beacon on cap, and more common than 20P2. It is the 28th most common oscillator on Adam P. Gouchers Catagolue.