At the time that Joseph Smith wrote, there was considerable discussion as to whether the laws of the solar system were effective with the stars. The Prophet had no doubts on that score, for he wrote, "And unto every kingdom is given a law; and unto every law there are certain bounds also and conditions."[A]
[Footnote A: Doctrine and Covenants, 88:38.]
Likewise, his opinions concerning the motions of celestial objects were very definite and clear. "He hath given a law unto all things by which they move in their times and seasons; and their courses are fixed; even the courses of the heavens and the earth, which comprehend the earth and all the planets. The earth rolls upon her wings, and the sun giveth his light by day, and the moon giveth her light by night, and the stars also giveth their light, as they roll upon their wings in glory, in the midst of the power of God."[A]
[Footnote A: Doctrine and Covenants, 88:43, 45.]
In another place the same thought is expressed. "The sun, moon or stars; all the times of their revolutions; all the appointed days, months, and years, and all the days of their days, months, and years, and all their glories, laws, and set times, shall be revealed."[A]
[Footnote A: Doctrine and Covenants, 121:30, 31.]
The two revelations from which these quotations are made, were given to the Prophet in 1832 and 1839 respectively, many years before the fact that all celestial bodies are in motion was understood and accepted by the world of science.
[Sidenote: Joseph Smith taught that the solar system is only one of many—in advance of the astronomers of his day.]
The accepted conception that groups or clusters of stars form systems which revolve around some one point or powerful star, was also clearly understood by Joseph Smith, for he speaks of stars of different orders with controlling stars for each order. "And I saw the stars that they were very great, and that one of them was nearest unto the throne of God; and there were many great ones which were near unto it: and the Lord said unto me: These are the governing ones; and the name of the great one is Kolob because it is near unto me—I have set this one to govern all those which belong to the same order as that upon which thou standest."[A] That the governing star, Kolob, is not the sun is evident, since the statement is made later in the chapter that the Lord showed Abraham "Shinehah, which is the sun." Kolob, therefore, must be a mighty star governing more than the solar system; and is possibly the central sun around which the sun with its attendant planets is revolving. The other great stars near Kolob are also governing stars, two of which are mentioned by name Oliblish and Enish-go-ondosh, though nothing is said of the order or stars that they control. The reading of the third chapter of the Book of Abraham leaves complete conviction that Joseph Smith taught that the celestial bodies are in great groups, controlled (under gravitational influence) by large suns. In this doctrine, he anticipated the world of science by many years.
[Footnote A: Book of Abraham, chapter 3.]