Panchang · Gochar
Gochar 2003: when each graha changes sign
In 2003, Shani moves into Vrishabha on 8 Jan; Shani moves into Mithuna on 8 Apr; Guru moves into Simha on 30 Jul; Rahu moves into Mesha on 6 Sep. Below is every sign change, station and asta period of the nine grahas.
Times in Lautoka (Pacific/Fiji, UTC+12).
The grahas on 1 January 2003
Sidereal (Lahiri) sign, and from when to when. Open a graha for its whole year.
- Surya (Sun)In Dhanusince 16 Dec 2002, until 14 Jan 2003
- Chandra (Moon)In Vrishchikasince 30 Dec 2002, until 2 Jan 2003
- Mangala (Mars)In Tulasince 22 Nov 2002, until 8 Jan 2003
- Budha (Mercury)In Makarasince 26 Dec 2002, until 10 Jan 2003
- Guru (Jupiter)RetrogradeIn Karkasince 5 Jul 2002, until 30 Jul 2003
- Shukra (Venus)In Tulasince 1 Sep 2002, until 1 Jan 2003
- Shani (Saturn)RetrogradeIn Mithunasince 23 Jul 2002, until 8 Jan 2003
- RahuIn Vrishabhasince 17 Feb 2002, until 6 Sep 2003
- KetuIn Vrishchikasince 17 Feb 2002, until 6 Sep 2003
Gochar calendar for 2003
Times in Lautoka (Pacific/Fiji, UTC+12). 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 2003
1 Jan5:43 pm
Shukra enters Vrishchika
3 Jan6:18 am
Budha turns retrograde at 4°34′ Makara
6 Jan2:58 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 17 Jan†
8 Jan5:04 am
Mangala enters Vrishchika
8 Jan8:21 pm
Shani enters Vrishabha (moving backward)
10 Jan5:27 am
Budha enters Dhanu (moving backward)
14 Jan11:57 pm
Surya enters Makara
17 Jan7:17 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
23 Jan1:08 pm
Budha turns direct at 18°24′ Dhanu
30 Jan2:32 pm
Shukra enters Dhanu
February 2003
8 Feb2:44 pm
Budha enters Makara
13 Feb12:54 pm
Surya enters Kumbha
22 Feb8:09 pm
Shani turns direct at 28°14′ Vrishabha
23 Feb8:06 pm
Mangala enters Dhanu
25 Feb7:52 pm
Shukra enters Makara
March 2003
1 Mar8:47 pm
Budha enters Kumbha
5 Mar4:57 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 5 Apr†
15 Mar9:46 am
Surya enters Meena
18 Mar9:13 pm
Budha enters Meena
23 Mar3:53 am
Shukra enters Kumbha
April 2003
2 Apr9:16 pm
Budha enters Mesha
4 Apr3:21 pm
Guru turns direct at 14°10′ Karka
5 Apr9:45 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
8 Apr2:48 am
Shani enters Mithuna
12 Apr11:01 am
Mangala enters Makara
14 Apr6:17 pm
Surya enters Mesha
17 Apr3:01 am
Shukra enters Meena
26 Apr11:58 pm
Budha turns retrograde at 26°39′ Mesha
29 Apr11:52 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 15 May†
May 2003
11 May10:12 pm
Shukra enters Mesha
15 May3:11 pm
Surya enters Vrishabha
15 May6:57 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
20 May7:33 pm
Budha turns direct at 17°13′ Mesha
June 2003
4 Jun8:18 am
Mangala enters Kumbha
5 Jun3:13 pm
Shukra enters Vrishabha
6 Jun9:47 pm
Shani becomes combust (asta) until 13 Jul†
9 Jun1:12 am
Budha enters Vrishabha
15 Jun9:49 pm
Surya enters Mithuna
23 Jun6:25 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 18 Jul†
27 Jun12:29 am
Budha enters Mithuna
30 Jun5:56 am
Shukra enters Mithuna
July 2003
11 Jul12:46 am
Budha enters Karka
13 Jul6:17 am
Shani rises again (asta ends)†
13 Jul8:46 pm
Shukra becomes combust (asta) until 25 Sep†
17 Jul8:42 am
Surya enters Karka
18 Jul6:24 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
24 Jul5:29 pm
Shukra enters Karka
27 Jul4:12 am
Budha enters Simha
29 Jul7:32 pm
Mangala turns retrograde at 16°14′ Kumbha
30 Jul6:22 pm
Guru enters Simha
August 2003
8 Aug2:47 am
Guru becomes combust (asta) until 6 Sep†
17 Aug5:07 pm
Surya enters Simha
18 Aug1:21 am
Shukra enters Simha
21 Aug1:33 pm
Budha enters Kanya
29 Aug1:40 am
Budha turns retrograde at 2°25′ Kanya
September 2003
5 Sep12:10 am
Budha enters Simha (moving backward)
5 Sep5:07 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 18 Sep†
6 Sep10:30 am
Rahu enters Mesha (moving backward)
6 Sep10:30 am
Ketu enters Tula (moving backward)
6 Sep2:32 pm
Guru rises again (asta ends)†
11 Sep6:11 am
Shukra enters Kanya
17 Sep5:04 pm
Surya enters Kanya
18 Sep11:34 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
20 Sep8:52 pm
Budha turns direct at 18°18′ Simha
25 Sep4:15 am
Shukra rises again (asta ends)†
27 Sep7:56 pm
Mangala turns direct at 6°13′ Kumbha
October 2003
3 Oct7:38 pm
Budha enters Kanya
5 Oct9:20 am
Shukra enters Tula
6 Oct3:48 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 19 Nov†
18 Oct5:01 am
Surya enters Tula
21 Oct8:37 am
Budha enters Tula
26 Oct11:12 am
Shani turns retrograde at 19°20′ Mithuna
29 Oct12:07 pm
Shukra enters Vrishchika
November 2003
8 Nov8:26 pm
Budha enters Vrishchika
17 Nov4:49 am
Surya enters Vrishchika
19 Nov4:44 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
22 Nov3:22 pm
Shukra enters Dhanu
28 Nov10:38 pm
Budha enters Dhanu
December 2003
6 Dec6:45 am
Mangala enters Meena
16 Dec7:28 pm
Surya enters Dhanu
16 Dec8:12 pm
Shukra enters Makara
18 Dec4:00 am
Budha turns retrograde at 18°39′ Dhanu
21 Dec11:44 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 1 Jan†
† 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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