Moons of Uranus and so would be considered (dwarf) planets if they were in direct orbit about the Sun. The remaining moons were discovered after 1985, either during the "Voyager 2" flyby mission or with the aid of advanced Earth-based telescopes. The first two moons to be discovered were Titania and Oberon, which were spotted by Sir William Herschel on January 11, 1787, six years after he had discovered the planet itself. Later, Herschel thought he had discovered up to six moons (see below) and perhaps even a ring. For nearly 50 years, Herschel's instrument was the only one with which the moons
The Living Cosmos about the setting of the Earth and the events that have occurred on this planet. Subsequent chapters consider the origin of life on Earth, and the physical extremes to which life as adapted. In astrobiology, it pays to think “outside the box” and imagine how strange life might be or whether post-biological evolution is possible, where the basis is mechanical or computational. A chapter on evolution shows how it is affected by the cosmic environment. Possibilities of life in the Solar System are considered next, with emphasis on Mars, Titan, and outer moons harboring liquid water. Next is a summary