Satelliters

Satelliter is a nonstandard term not commonly used in professional astronomy. In most sources, objects that orbit a planet or other body are called satellites, which may be natural (moons) or artificial (human-made spacecraft). The term 'satelliter' occasionally appears in informal discourse or fiction as a variant, alias, or hypothetical agent noun derived from satellite, but there is no official definition or classification.

If interpreted as a misspelling or variant of satellite, satelliters would refer to the same set of objects: natural satellites such as the Moon orbiting planets, and artificial satellites such as communications and remote-sensing spacecraft orbiting Earth or other bodies. They range from low Earth orbit (LEO) to medium Earth orbit (MEO) and geostationary orbit (GEO), with different purposes and lifespans.

Artificial satellites enable communications, navigation, weather monitoring, Earth observation, scientific experiments, and interplanetary exploration technology. Examples include the International Space Station (orbiting Earth), the Hubble Space Telescope, the GPS satellites, and the Starlink constellation. Natural satellites include the Moon, many moons of Jupiter and Saturn, which influence planetary rings and tides.

Because satellite is the standard term in astronomy, the IAU and space agencies do not use 'satelliter' as an official category. The term may appear in speculative fiction or niche communities, but it lacks a formal, widely accepted definition.

See also: Satellite; Artificial satellite; Moon; Orbital mechanics.