How did Galileo see a satellite orbiting Jupiter when none were in existence? ?

[Twopiece]

I waz watching the history Channel about The universe and as the show progress it said that Galileo saw with his telescope that there were stars and a satellite Orbiting around Jupiter. Now if I'm clear I type satellite above. Galileo waz born February 15 1564 and died 356 years ago in 1642. The First satellite didn't launch until October 4, 1957 by the soviet Union. Now Tell Me this how did Galileo say he saw a satellite if there wasn't even a thought of one yet. unless a Alien Life form put one in orbit.

[tham153]

The word satellite is a synonym for moon. Galileo discovered four moons around Jupiter, which he wnted to name the Medicean stars for the Medici family. This did not sit well with anyone outside the Medici realm. A Jesuit astronomer suggested the names Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto from 4 of the better known of Jupiter's love affairs (note that he was bisexual). The word satellite was adapted by Kepler, from a Greek word meaning hanger on or dependent.
You are confusing satellite with artificial satellite.

[cheesecake_stripper]

Back in Galileo's day, moons and other objects in space were often called satellites. Even nowadays many scientists call moons satellites.

[Michael Steen]

BTW, Twopiece, just to add a little bit to tham153's excellent response: No one ever ever said that Galileo saw stars orbiting around Jupiter. The moons are comparatively small and LOOK like stars in a small telescope, but no one was ever under any illusion that they WERE stars. Stars are pretty damn big, and they only orbit each other, and only then from a pretty good distance.

[Marvin the Martian]

Actually the Romans and the Chinese both launched a number of satellites. But in the dark ages all that technology was lost. A tragic shame.

[xyzpdqfoo]

A satellite just means anything in orbit. The moon is a satellite of earth.
He saw Jupiters moons.

[Proxy Man]

satalite just means something orbiting another in space. it was a natural satalite, like an astroid or moon that was in jupiters gravity field