Giordano Bruno speculated these things before Galileo. He was also tried and convicted by the Catholic church. However, he was burned alive at the stake instead of getting house arrest like Galileo. Maybe because Galileo had proof, Bruno did see the stars for what they are.

On-line calculator that finds the position of Jupiter's Galilean satellites at any point in time.

With dark skies, a decent pair of binoculars, and something to steady your arm against, you can see the moons directly. Jupiter is near the zenith during late evening this month.