Panchang · Gochar
Gochar 2008: when each graha changes sign
In 2008, Rahu moves into Makara on 30 Apr; Guru moves into Makara on 9 Dec. Below is every sign change, station and asta period of the nine grahas.
The grahas on 1 January 2008
Sidereal (Lahiri) sign, and from when to when. Open a graha for its whole year.
- Surya (Sun)In Dhanusince 16 Dec 2007, until 14 Jan 2008
- Chandra (Moon)In Kanyasince 30 Dec 2007, until 1 Jan 2008
- Mangala (Mars)RetrogradeIn Mithunasince 16 Sep 2007, until 28 Apr 2008
- Budha (Mercury)In Dhanusince 17 Dec 2007, until 4 Jan 2008
- Guru (Jupiter)In Dhanusince 22 Nov 2007, until 9 Dec 2008
- Shukra (Venus)In Vrishchikasince 25 Dec 2007, until 19 Jan 2008
- Shani (Saturn)RetrogradeIn Simhasince 16 Jul 2007, until 9 Sep 2009
- RahuIn Kumbhasince 12 Oct 2006, until 30 Apr 2008
- KetuIn Simhasince 12 Oct 2006, until 30 Apr 2008
Gochar calendar for 2008
Times in IST. 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 2008
4 Jan5:20 pm
Budha enters Makara
6 Jan9:30 am
Guru rises again (asta ends)†
10 Jan1:19 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
14 Jan11:58 pm
Surya enters Makara
19 Jan3:31 pm
Shukra enters Dhanu
29 Jan2:00 am
Budha turns retrograde at 29°55′ Makara
31 Jan4:07 am
Mangala turns direct at 0°07′ Mithuna
31 Jan9:13 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 12 Feb†
February 2008
12 Feb4:39 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
13 Feb12:34 am
Shukra enters Makara
13 Feb12:55 pm
Surya enters Kumbha
19 Feb8:27 am
Budha turns direct at 14°21′ Makara
March 2008
8 Mar7:15 am
Shukra enters Kumbha
10 Mar2:26 pm
Budha enters Kumbha
14 Mar9:47 am
Surya enters Meena
30 Mar1:30 pm
Budha enters Meena
April 2008
1 Apr1:52 pm
Shukra enters Meena
2 Apr4:17 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 29 Apr†
13 Apr6:19 pm
Surya enters Mesha
15 Apr5:44 am
Budha enters Mesha
25 Apr9:33 pm
Shukra enters Mesha
28 Apr2:28 pm
Mangala enters Karka
29 Apr6:38 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
29 Apr5:35 pm
Budha enters Vrishabha
30 Apr12:51 pm
Rahu enters Makara (moving backward)
30 Apr12:51 pm
Ketu enters Karka (moving backward)
May 2008
2 May11:56 pm
Shukra becomes combust (asta) until 15 Jul†
3 May9:07 am
Shani turns direct at 7°43′ Simha
9 May5:23 pm
Guru turns retrograde at 28°24′ Dhanu
14 May3:14 pm
Surya enters Vrishabha
20 May6:37 am
Shukra enters Vrishabha
26 May9:16 pm
Budha turns retrograde at 27°34′ Vrishabha
30 May8:45 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 16 Jun†
June 2008
13 Jun4:31 pm
Shukra enters Mithuna
14 Jun9:52 pm
Surya enters Mithuna
16 Jun9:58 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
19 Jun8:01 pm
Budha turns direct at 19°01′ Vrishabha
21 Jun4:40 pm
Mangala enters Simha
July 2008
6 Jul6:53 pm
Budha enters Mithuna
8 Jul2:27 am
Shukra enters Karka
15 Jul7:05 pm
Shukra rises again (asta ends)†
16 Jul8:46 am
Surya enters Karka
17 Jul10:02 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 13 Aug†
23 Jul8:46 pm
Budha enters Karka
August 2008
1 Aug12:10 pm
Shukra enters Simha
7 Aug11:15 am
Budha enters Simha
10 Aug2:36 am
Mangala enters Kanya
13 Aug6:20 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
16 Aug5:12 pm
Surya enters Simha
17 Aug10:58 am
Shani becomes combust (asta) until 21 Sep†
25 Aug3:27 am
Budha enters Kanya
25 Aug10:18 pm
Shukra enters Kanya
September 2008
8 Sep10:03 am
Guru turns direct at 18°34′ Dhanu
16 Sep5:11 pm
Surya enters Kanya
19 Sep10:06 am
Shukra enters Tula
21 Sep11:55 pm
Shani rises again (asta ends)†
24 Sep12:46 pm
Budha turns retrograde at 28°52′ Kanya
25 Sep10:45 am
Mangala enters Tula
October 2008
1 Oct5:01 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 13 Oct†
9 Oct8:09 pm
Mangala becomes combust (asta) until 9 Feb†
13 Oct9:59 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
14 Oct12:51 am
Shukra enters Vrishchika
16 Oct1:36 am
Budha turns direct at 13°35′ Kanya
17 Oct5:10 am
Surya enters Tula
November 2008
1 Nov2:41 am
Budha enters Tula
2 Nov1:55 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 21 Dec†
7 Nov8:25 pm
Shukra enters Dhanu
8 Nov2:32 am
Mangala enters Vrishchika
16 Nov4:58 am
Surya enters Vrishchika
19 Nov5:38 pm
Budha enters Vrishchika
December 2008
3 Dec1:34 am
Shukra enters Makara
8 Dec7:22 pm
Budha enters Dhanu
9 Dec10:52 pm
Guru enters Makara
15 Dec7:34 pm
Surya enters Dhanu
19 Dec11:18 am
Mangala enters Dhanu
21 Dec9:57 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
28 Dec5:45 am
Budha enters Makara
29 Dec6:15 am
Shukra enters Kumbha
31 Dec11:07 pm
Shani turns retrograde at 27°47′ Simha
† 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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