What causes an "out of range" error in Solar Fire

An out of range error in Solar Fire subscription software typically means you've entered a value — usually a date, time, or coordinate — that falls outside the limits the program accepts. Solar Fire is astrology software that calculates planetary positions and creates charts, and it has strict boundaries for what data it can process. If you enter a birth time of 25:00 (which doesn't exist), a year before 3102 BCE, or coordinates that don't map to Earth, the program stops and shows this error rather than guessing.

The error message itself usually tells you which field caused the problem. Common culprits are birth time (must be between 00:00 and 23:59), birth date (must fall within the software's supported range, typically 3102 BCE to around 2400 CE), or geographic coordinates (latitude and longitude must be real locations). The software is protecting itself — and your chart accuracy — by refusing to calculate with impossible inputs.

Key Takeaways

  • Out of range errors occur when you enter data outside the limits Solar Fire accepts, most often an invalid time, date, or location.
  • Birth time must be entered in 24-hour format between 00:00 and 23:59; times like 25:00 or 13:75 will trigger the error.
  • Check that your birth date falls within the software's supported historical range and that you have not accidentally typed an extra digit in the year.
  • Geographic coordinates must correspond to real locations on Earth; entering latitude or longitude values that exceed ±90 and ±180 degrees will cause the error.

Checking your birth time entry

Birth time is the most frequent source of out of range errors because it's easy to mistype or misunderstand the format. Solar Fire expects time in 24-hour format — that is, 13:30 for 1:30 PM, not 1:30 PM or 13:30 PM. If you're working from a birth certificate that shows time in 12-hour format, convert it first: add 12 to any PM time (except 12:00 PM, which stays 12:00), and leave AM times as they are.

The hour must be 00 through 23, and the minutes must be 00 through 59. If you see an error and your time entry shows something like 24:15 or 13:75, that's the problem — fix it to a valid time. If the birth certificate shows "unknown" or "not recorded," leave the time field blank or enter 12:00 (noon), which is Solar Fire's standard when time is unknown. Do not enter 00:00 unless the birth actually occurred at midnight.

Verifying your birth date and year

Birth dates outside Solar Fire's supported range will also trigger this error. The software typically accepts dates from 3102 BCE forward, but the exact range depends on your version. If you're charting someone born in the distant past or far future, you may hit this boundary. More commonly, the error comes from a typo in the year — entering 19991 instead of 1991, for example.

Double-check the year digit by digit. If the birth date is very old or very recent and you're still seeing the error, check your software's documentation or help file for the exact date range it supports. Some older versions of Solar Fire have narrower ranges than newer ones. If the date is genuinely outside the supported range, you may need to update your software or use a workaround like entering the date as close as possible to the actual one.

Correcting geographic coordinates

Latitude and longitude must fall within real-world boundaries. Latitude ranges from −90 degrees (South Pole) to +90 degrees (North Pole). Longitude ranges from −180 degrees to +180 degrees. If you enter latitude as 95 or longitude as 200, Solar Fire will reject it as out of range because those coordinates don't exist on Earth.

If you're entering coordinates manually rather than selecting from a city list, use a map tool or coordinate database to verify them first. Most birth locations can be found in Solar Fire's built-in city database, which is faster and more reliable than typing coordinates by hand. If the location is very small or rural, search for the nearest town in the database and use those coordinates as a close approximation.

Using Solar Fire's city database to avoid errors

The easiest way to prevent out of range errors for location is to let Solar Fire find the city for you. When you enter a birth location, start typing the city name and select from the dropdown list. Solar Fire's database includes thousands of cities worldwide with pre-verified coordinates, so you avoid the risk of entering invalid numbers.

If your birth city doesn't appear in the list, search for the nearest major city or the capital of that region. The difference in coordinates between a small town and the nearest city usually shifts the chart by only a few minutes of arc, which is negligible for most astrology work. This approach also eliminates the chance of a typo in latitude or longitude.

What to do if the error persists

If you've checked time, date, and coordinates and the error still appears, the problem may be in a different field. Some versions of Solar Fire have range limits on other inputs — for example, altitude above sea level, or timezone offset. Check the error message carefully to see which field it names. If the message is unclear, try entering the data one field at a time and watching for the error to appear.

You can also try creating a new chart from scratch rather than editing an existing one, in case corrupted data in the chart file is causing the issue. If the error occurs on every chart you create, your software installation may need repair or reinstall. Consult the Solar Fire user manual or contact the software publisher's support for version-specific troubleshooting steps.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use 24-hour time if my birth certificate shows 12-hour time?

Yes, you must convert it. Add 12 to any PM time except 12:00 PM (which stays 12:00). Leave AM times as they are, except 12:00 AM becomes 00:00. For example, 3:45 PM becomes 15:45, and 8:30 AM stays 08:30.

What should I enter if I don't know the exact birth time?

Leave the time field blank, or enter 12:00 (noon). Solar Fire will calculate the chart without a precise time, which limits accuracy for houses and some other factors, but it won't trigger an out of range error.

Why does Solar Fire reject coordinates I found online?

The coordinates may be formatted differently than Solar Fire expects, or they may have too many decimal places. Use Solar Fire's city database instead — it stores coordinates in the format the software needs. If you must enter coordinates manually, use no more than four decimal places.

Can I chart someone born before 3102 BCE?

Not in most versions of Solar Fire, because the software's astronomical calculations don't extend that far back reliably. If you need to chart an ancient date, check your software version's documentation for its earliest supported year, or consider whether a nearby date would serve your purpose.