Orb of Influence

A band, not a wire

Astrologers usually give a planetary line an orb of a few hundred miles. A common working figure is up to roughly 300 miles (500 km), with the effect strongest within the first 150 and fading steadily after that. Inside that band, the planet sits close enough to an angle in your relocated chart to act as angular. Beyond it, the planet drops back into the ordinary ranks and the place no longer carries its signature.

Treat these numbers as honest approximations rather than walls. A line 100 miles away is weather you're actually standing in; at 400 miles it's more like a distant front, occasionally felt and easily overridden by everything else in the chart.

What sharpens or softens a line

Three refinements matter. The planet's natal strength: a planet that's already prominent in your birth chart casts a wider, clearer line, while a quiet one barely whispers even when you're standing right on it. Crossings: where two lines intersect, or where two planets sit on angles at the same latitude (the refinement called parans), the local atmosphere becomes a blend, often stronger than either line alone. Birth-time accuracy: the angles shift about a degree every four minutes, so an uncertain birth time can move every line farther than the orb can forgive. If your time is approximate, read the map in broad strokes.

Using orbs practically

The practical rule is to choose places, not points. A city 50 miles from your Jupiter Midheaven line gets essentially the full effect, so there's no need to move into a cornfield chasing precision. The free Best Place to Live tool factors in line proximity across your entire map when it names your strongest ground, and planetary lines explains what each nearby line would actually bring.