Panchang · Gochar
Gochar 1998: when each graha changes sign
In 1998, Guru moves into Kumbha on 8 Jan; Shani moves into Mesha on 17 Apr; Guru moves into Meena on 26 May; Guru moves into Kumbha on 10 Sep. Below is every sign change, station and asta period of the nine grahas.
Times in Mombasa (Africa/Nairobi, UTC+3).
The grahas on 1 January 1998
Sidereal (Lahiri) sign, and from when to when. Open a graha for its whole year.
- Surya (Sun)In Dhanusince 15 Dec 1997, until 14 Jan 1998
- Chandra (Moon)In Makarasince 30 Dec 1997, until 2 Jan 1998
- Mangala (Mars)In Makarasince 10 Dec 1997, until 17 Jan 1998
- Budha (Mercury)In Vrishchikasince 18 Dec 1997, until 7 Jan 1998
- Guru (Jupiter)In Makarasince 26 Dec 1996, until 8 Jan 1998
- Shukra (Venus)RetrogradeIn Makarasince 2 Dec 1997, until 20 Jan 1998
- Shani (Saturn)In Meenasince 16 Feb 1996, until 17 Apr 1998
- RahuIn Simhasince 24 Jun 1997, until 11 Jan 1999
- KetuIn Kumbhasince 24 Jun 1997, until 11 Jan 1999
Gochar calendar for 1998
Times in Mombasa (Africa/Nairobi, UTC+3). Each is the same instant everywhere on Earth. The Moon changes sign every two and a half days, so its list is on its own page.
Sign changeRetrograde / directAsta / rising
January 1998
7 Jan11:07 am
Budha enters Dhanu
8 Jan1:02 pm
Guru enters Kumbha
11 Jan3:44 pm
Shukra becomes combust (asta) until 21 Jan†
14 Jan8:12 am
Surya enters Makara
17 Jan4:37 pm
Mangala enters Kumbha
20 Jan9:23 am
Shukra enters Dhanu (moving backward)
21 Jan1:12 pm
Shukra rises again (asta ends)†
29 Jan6:22 pm
Budha enters Makara
February 1998
1 Feb11:41 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 10 Mar†
6 Feb12:27 am
Shukra turns direct at 24°38′ Dhanu
9 Feb4:43 am
Guru becomes combust (asta) until 9 Mar†
12 Feb9:10 pm
Surya enters Kumbha
17 Feb2:27 am
Budha enters Kumbha
23 Feb10:40 am
Shukra enters Makara
24 Feb8:47 pm
Mangala enters Meena
28 Feb9:25 pm
Mangala becomes combust (asta) until 16 Jul†
March 1998
5 Mar4:51 am
Budha enters Meena
9 Mar9:48 pm
Guru rises again (asta ends)†
10 Mar9:20 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
14 Mar6:01 pm
Surya enters Meena
27 Mar3:43 am
Shani becomes combust (asta) until 1 May†
27 Mar10:41 pm
Budha turns retrograde at 27°40′ Meena
30 Mar5:13 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 13 Apr†
31 Mar7:57 am
Shukra enters Kumbha
April 1998
4 Apr10:42 pm
Mangala enters Mesha
13 Apr9:14 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
14 Apr2:30 am
Surya enters Mesha
17 Apr10:14 am
Shani enters Mesha
20 Apr10:31 am
Budha turns direct at 15°58′ Meena
28 Apr9:56 am
Shukra enters Meena
May 1998
1 May6:20 am
Shani rises again (asta ends)†
10 May1:50 pm
Budha enters Mesha
14 May11:22 pm
Surya enters Vrishabha
15 May3:50 pm
Mangala enters Vrishabha
24 May6:55 pm
Shukra enters Mesha
26 May1:30 am
Guru enters Meena
29 May5:06 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 22 Jun†
29 May8:50 am
Budha enters Vrishabha
June 1998
12 Jun12:22 pm
Budha enters Mithuna
15 Jun5:58 am
Surya enters Mithuna
19 Jun10:22 am
Shukra enters Vrishabha
22 Jun2:37 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
27 Jun10:23 am
Mangala enters Mithuna
27 Jun11:16 am
Budha enters Karka
July 1998
14 Jul3:06 pm
Shukra enters Mithuna
16 Jul4:51 pm
Surya enters Karka
16 Jul7:37 pm
Mangala rises again (asta ends)†
18 Jul4:31 am
Guru turns retrograde at 4°14′ Meena
20 Jul11:42 am
Budha enters Simha
31 Jul5:27 am
Budha turns retrograde at 4°26′ Simha
August 1998
7 Aug1:52 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 21 Aug†
8 Aug10:53 am
Shukra enters Karka
10 Aug3:17 pm
Budha enters Karka (moving backward)
11 Aug9:52 am
Mangala enters Karka
15 Aug9:37 pm
Shani turns retrograde at 9°47′ Mesha
17 Aug1:16 am
Surya enters Simha
21 Aug4:54 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
24 Aug1:35 am
Budha turns direct at 22°08′ Karka
September 1998
1 Sep10:30 pm
Shukra enters Simha
4 Sep3:25 am
Budha enters Simha
9 Sep9:16 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 16 Oct†
10 Sep8:59 am
Guru enters Kumbha (moving backward)
17 Sep1:13 am
Surya enters Kanya
21 Sep4:56 am
Budha enters Kanya
21 Sep11:14 pm
Shukra becomes combust (asta) until 9 Dec†
26 Sep3:28 am
Shukra enters Kanya
27 Sep3:09 pm
Mangala enters Simha
October 1998
8 Oct9:21 am
Budha enters Tula
16 Oct7:50 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
17 Oct1:11 pm
Surya enters Tula
20 Oct4:00 am
Shukra enters Tula
28 Oct6:12 am
Budha enters Vrishchika
November 1998
13 Nov2:17 am
Shukra enters Vrishchika
13 Nov4:18 pm
Guru turns direct at 24°19′ Kumbha
16 Nov1:02 pm
Surya enters Vrishchika
16 Nov4:56 pm
Mangala enters Kanya
21 Nov2:45 pm
Budha turns retrograde at 23°43′ Vrishchika
26 Nov7:02 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 7 Dec†
December 1998
6 Dec11:45 pm
Shukra enters Dhanu
7 Dec7:08 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
9 Dec8:15 pm
Shukra rises again (asta ends)†
11 Dec9:29 am
Budha turns direct at 7°28′ Vrishchika
16 Dec3:43 am
Surya enters Dhanu
29 Dec7:14 pm
Shani turns direct at 2°56′ Mesha
30 Dec9:26 pm
Shukra enters Makara
† Practice varies. Texts and almanacs give slightly different asta limits, and some almanacs use the true rather than the mean node for Rahu and Ketu, which can move the nodes’ sign changes by some weeks.
See also: Transits over your chart · Gochar (glossary) · Sade Sati · Ayanamsa · Sankranti
Understand
What gochar is
Gochar means the movement of the grahas: each moves on through the zodiac, and when it crosses from one rasi into the next, that is its sign change (sankramana). This page only says which graha is where, and when. In the classical method gochar is read by counting from a person’s natal Moon sign; to see today’s sky against your own chart, open the transits tool.
Retrograde (vakri) and direct (margi)
Seen from the Earth, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn now and then appear to move backward for a while. That is retrograde motion; the instant the graha stops and turns is a station, and moving forward again is turning direct. It is an effect of the Earth and the planet moving on their orbits at different speeds. The Sun and Moon are never retrograde; Rahu and Ketu (mean) always move backward.
Combustion (asta)
A graha very close to the Sun is lost in its glare; the texts call it asta (set), and its reappearance udaya (rising). The Surya Siddhanta gives a distance limit for each graha. The limits used here: Mangala 17°, Budha 14° (12° when retrograde), Guru 11°, Shukra 10° (8° when retrograde), Shani 15°. Almanacs leave out the asta periods of Guru and Shukra when choosing times for samskaras such as weddings.
Sidereal signs
Indian almanacs count the rasis against the stars (nirayana). Western (tropical) signs run about 24° ahead, so the dates printed there are about three weeks earlier than these. The ayanamsa used here is Lahiri.
How this is calculated
Each graha’s apparent geocentric position from NASA JPL’s DE421 ephemeris, less the Lahiri ayanamsa. The instants of crossing a rasi edge, of zero speed and of reaching the asta limit are found by bisection to under a second. Small differences in ayanamsa can move a slow graha’s time (Shani above all) by a few hours against other almanacs.
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