Panchang · Gochar
Gochar 2006: when each graha changes sign
In 2006, Rahu moves into Kumbha on 12 Oct; Guru moves into Vrishchika on 27 Oct; Shani moves into Simha on 1 Nov. Below is every sign change, station and asta period of the nine grahas.
Times in Abu Dhabi (Asia/Dubai, GST).
The grahas on 1 January 2006
Sidereal (Lahiri) sign, and from when to when. Open a graha for its whole year.
- Surya (Sun)In Dhanusince 15 Dec 2005, until 14 Jan 2006
- Chandra (Moon)In Dhanusince 30 Dec 2005, until 1 Jan 2006
- Mangala (Mars)In Meshasince 18 Jul 2005, until 5 Feb 2006
- Budha (Mercury)In Dhanusince 31 Dec 2005, until 19 Jan 2006
- Guru (Jupiter)In Tulasince 28 Sep 2005, until 27 Oct 2006
- Shukra (Venus)RetrogradeIn Makarasince 3 Dec 2005, until 13 Jan 2006
- Shani (Saturn)RetrogradeIn Karkasince 26 May 2005, until 1 Nov 2006
- RahuIn Meenasince 25 Mar 2005, until 12 Oct 2006
- KetuIn Kanyasince 25 Mar 2005, until 12 Oct 2006
Gochar calendar for 2006
Times in Abu Dhabi (Asia/Dubai, GST). 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 2006
2 Jan6:28 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 14 Feb†
9 Jan5:21 am
Shukra becomes combust (asta) until 19 Jan†
13 Jan5:30 pm
Shukra enters Dhanu (moving backward)
14 Jan10:18 am
Surya enters Makara
19 Jan2:50 am
Shukra rises again (asta ends)†
19 Jan8:13 am
Budha enters Makara
February 2006
3 Feb1:20 pm
Shukra turns direct at 22°05′ Dhanu
5 Feb9:15 am
Mangala enters Vrishabha
5 Feb8:21 pm
Budha enters Kumbha
12 Feb11:19 pm
Surya enters Kumbha
14 Feb5:00 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
24 Feb7:37 pm
Budha enters Meena
25 Feb4:39 am
Shukra enters Makara
March 2006
3 Mar12:28 am
Budha turns retrograde at 2°59′ Meena
4 Mar9:44 pm
Guru turns retrograde at 24°55′ Tula
5 Mar9:16 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 18 Mar†
9 Mar11:56 am
Budha enters Kumbha (moving backward)
14 Mar8:13 pm
Surya enters Meena
18 Mar3:06 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
25 Mar5:42 pm
Budha turns direct at 19°14′ Kumbha
31 Mar9:04 am
Shukra enters Kumbha
April 2006
3 Apr3:00 pm
Mangala enters Mithuna
5 Apr5:24 pm
Shani turns direct at 10°26′ Karka
11 Apr3:49 pm
Budha enters Meena
14 Apr4:43 am
Surya enters Mesha
28 Apr5:07 am
Shukra enters Meena
May 2006
2 May4:49 am
Budha enters Mesha
6 May7:09 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 31 May†
15 May1:35 am
Surya enters Vrishabha
17 May6:17 am
Budha enters Vrishabha
24 May11:42 am
Shukra enters Mesha
24 May8:48 pm
Mangala enters Karka
31 May2:43 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
31 May9:43 am
Budha enters Mithuna
June 2006
15 Jun8:09 am
Surya enters Mithuna
19 Jun1:52 am
Shukra enters Vrishabha
20 Jun3:48 pm
Budha enters Karka
July 2006
4 Jul11:32 pm
Budha turns retrograde at 7°26′ Karka
6 Jul11:36 am
Guru turns direct at 15°02′ Tula
10 Jul4:47 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 26 Jul†
13 Jul4:22 am
Mangala enters Simha
14 Jul5:50 am
Shukra enters Mithuna
16 Jul7:01 pm
Surya enters Karka
20 Jul1:31 pm
Shani becomes combust (asta) until 25 Aug†
20 Jul10:19 pm
Budha enters Mithuna (moving backward)
26 Jul3:56 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
29 Jul4:40 am
Budha turns direct at 27°07′ Mithuna
August 2006
5 Aug3:30 pm
Budha enters Karka
8 Aug1:09 am
Shukra enters Karka
17 Aug3:26 am
Surya enters Simha
18 Aug4:58 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 18 Sep†
24 Aug10:36 pm
Budha enters Simha
25 Aug3:40 pm
Shani rises again (asta ends)†
29 Aug10:11 pm
Mangala enters Kanya
September 2006
1 Sep12:08 am
Mangala becomes combust (asta) until 16 Dec†
1 Sep12:33 pm
Shukra enters Simha
9 Sep2:10 pm
Budha enters Kanya
17 Sep3:23 am
Surya enters Kanya
18 Sep6:16 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
19 Sep4:18 pm
Shukra becomes combust (asta) until 7 Dec†
25 Sep5:26 pm
Shukra enters Kanya
28 Sep2:58 am
Budha enters Tula
October 2006
12 Oct8:24 am
Rahu enters Kumbha (moving backward)
12 Oct8:24 am
Ketu enters Simha (moving backward)
14 Oct8:09 pm
Mangala enters Tula
17 Oct3:21 pm
Surya enters Tula
19 Oct6:00 pm
Shukra enters Tula
24 Oct4:00 pm
Budha enters Vrishchika
27 Oct8:20 pm
Guru enters Vrishchika
28 Oct11:15 pm
Budha turns retrograde at 1°08′ Vrishchika
November 2006
1 Nov4:04 am
Shani enters Simha
1 Nov9:21 pm
Budha enters Tula (moving backward)
3 Nov12:25 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 14 Nov†
8 Nov3:12 am
Guru becomes combust (asta) until 6 Dec†
12 Nov4:19 pm
Shukra enters Vrishchika
14 Nov8:00 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
16 Nov3:09 pm
Surya enters Vrishchika
18 Nov4:25 am
Budha turns direct at 15°07′ Tula
27 Nov6:05 pm
Mangala enters Vrishchika
December 2006
4 Dec5:05 am
Budha enters Vrishchika
6 Dec1:09 am
Guru rises again (asta ends)†
6 Dec7:37 am
Shani turns retrograde at 1°07′ Simha
6 Dec1:52 pm
Shukra enters Dhanu
7 Dec7:51 am
Shukra rises again (asta ends)†
12 Dec2:29 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 28 Jan†
16 Dec5:47 am
Surya enters Dhanu
16 Dec9:11 am
Mangala rises again (asta ends)†
24 Dec3:49 am
Budha enters Dhanu
30 Dec11:40 am
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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