Panchang · Gochar
Gochar 1999: when each graha changes sign
In 1999, Rahu moves into Karka on 11 Jan; Guru moves into Meena on 12 Jan; Guru moves into Mesha on 26 May. Below is every sign change, station and asta period of the nine grahas.
Times in Seattle (America/Los Angeles, PST/PDT).
The grahas on 1 January 1999
Sidereal (Lahiri) sign, and from when to when. Open a graha for its whole year.
- Surya (Sun)In Dhanusince 15 Dec 1998, until 14 Jan 1999
- Chandra (Moon)In Mithunasince 31 Dec 1998, until 2 Jan 1999
- Mangala (Mars)In Kanyasince 16 Nov 1998, until 12 Jan 1999
- Budha (Mercury)In Vrishchikasince 27 Oct 1998, until 2 Jan 1999
- Guru (Jupiter)In Kumbhasince 9 Sep 1998, until 12 Jan 1999
- Shukra (Venus)In Makarasince 30 Dec 1998, until 23 Jan 1999
- Shani (Saturn)In Meshasince 17 Apr 1998, until 6 Jun 2000
- RahuIn Simhasince 24 Jun 1997, until 11 Jan 1999
- KetuIn Kumbhasince 24 Jun 1997, until 11 Jan 1999
Gochar calendar for 1999
Times in Seattle (America/Los Angeles, PST/PDT). 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 1999
2 Jan11:46 am
Budha enters Dhanu
11 Jan5:38 am
Rahu enters Karka (moving backward)
11 Jan5:38 am
Ketu enters Makara (moving backward)
11 Jan3:25 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 21 Feb†
12 Jan1:10 am
Mangala enters Tula
12 Jan1:39 pm
Guru enters Meena
14 Jan3:28 am
Surya enters Makara
22 Jan6:27 am
Budha enters Makara
23 Jan9:45 am
Shukra enters Kumbha
February 1999
8 Feb9:59 pm
Budha enters Kumbha
12 Feb4:27 pm
Surya enters Kumbha
16 Feb1:06 pm
Shukra enters Meena
21 Feb2:44 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
25 Feb9:11 pm
Budha enters Meena
March 1999
10 Mar1:10 am
Budha turns retrograde at 10°13′ Meena
12 Mar8:54 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 26 Mar†
13 Mar12:07 am
Shukra enters Mesha
14 Mar1:18 pm
Surya enters Meena
17 Mar6:05 am
Guru becomes combust (asta) until 15 Apr†
18 Mar5:36 am
Mangala turns retrograde at 18°22′ Tula
25 Mar3:05 am
Budha enters Kumbha (moving backward)
26 Mar12:17 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
April 1999
2 Apr1:19 am
Budha turns direct at 27°02′ Kumbha
7 Apr12:55 am
Shukra enters Vrishabha
9 Apr12:55 pm
Shani becomes combust (asta) until 14 May†
10 Apr12:23 pm
Budha enters Meena
13 Apr10:45 pm
Surya enters Mesha
15 Apr7:03 pm
Guru rises again (asta ends)†
May 1999
2 May9:58 pm
Shukra enters Mithuna
5 May12:23 am
Budha enters Mesha
12 May11:16 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 6 Jun†
14 May7:34 pm
Surya enters Vrishabha
14 May11:49 pm
Shani rises again (asta ends)†
20 May5:55 pm
Budha enters Vrishabha
26 May3:58 am
Guru enters Mesha
30 May12:36 pm
Shukra enters Karka
June 1999
3 Jun3:25 pm
Budha enters Mithuna
3 Jun11:14 pm
Mangala turns direct at 0°36′ Tula
6 Jun1:30 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
15 Jun2:07 am
Surya enters Mithuna
21 Jun5:53 am
Budha enters Karka
July 1999
2 Jul4:15 pm
Shukra enters Simha
12 Jul4:32 pm
Budha turns retrograde at 15°38′ Karka
16 Jul12:59 pm
Surya enters Karka
18 Jul7:43 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 3 Aug†
29 Jul6:40 pm
Shukra turns retrograde at 11°17′ Simha
August 1999
3 Aug9:27 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
5 Aug8:27 pm
Budha turns direct at 4°44′ Karka
15 Aug2:13 am
Shukra becomes combust (asta) until 25 Aug†
16 Aug9:25 pm
Surya enters Simha
23 Aug10:09 am
Mangala enters Vrishchika
24 Aug4:32 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 26 Sep†
24 Aug7:20 pm
Guru turns retrograde at 11°08′ Mesha
25 Aug7:12 am
Shukra rises again (asta ends)†
25 Aug11:09 am
Shukra enters Karka (moving backward)
28 Aug4:15 am
Budha enters Simha
29 Aug5:51 pm
Shani turns retrograde at 23°20′ Mesha
September 1999
10 Sep5:24 pm
Shukra turns direct at 24°56′ Karka
12 Sep7:25 pm
Budha enters Kanya
16 Sep9:23 pm
Surya enters Kanya
26 Sep4:00 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
27 Sep9:28 pm
Shukra enters Simha
30 Sep7:27 pm
Budha enters Tula
October 1999
8 Oct3:54 am
Mangala enters Dhanu
17 Oct9:21 am
Surya enters Tula
23 Oct8:17 am
Budha enters Vrishchika
November 1999
2 Nov8:37 pm
Shukra enters Kanya
4 Nov6:58 pm
Budha turns retrograde at 7°53′ Vrishchika
10 Nov1:50 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 21 Nov†
15 Nov12:33 am
Budha enters Tula (moving backward)
16 Nov8:07 am
Surya enters Vrishchika
17 Nov9:13 pm
Mangala enters Makara
21 Nov6:30 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
24 Nov7:55 pm
Budha turns direct at 21°46′ Tula
30 Nov7:01 am
Shukra enters Tula
December 1999
6 Dec12:31 am
Budha enters Vrishchika
15 Dec10:45 pm
Surya enters Dhanu
20 Dec7:04 am
Guru turns direct at 1°10′ Mesha
21 Dec8:15 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 4 Feb†
25 Dec6:23 pm
Shukra enters Vrishchika
26 Dec8:47 pm
Mangala enters Kumbha
26 Dec11:00 pm
Budha enters Dhanu
† 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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