Panchang · Gochar
Gochar 2011: when each graha changes sign
In 2011, Guru moves into Mesha on 8 May; Rahu moves into Vrishchika on 6 Jun; Shani moves into Tula on 14 Nov. Below is every sign change, station and asta period of the nine grahas.
Times in Los Angeles (America/Los Angeles, PST/PDT).
The grahas on 1 January 2011
Sidereal (Lahiri) sign, and from when to when. Open a graha for its whole year.
- Surya (Sun)In Dhanusince 15 Dec 2010, until 14 Jan 2011
- Chandra (Moon)In Vrishchikasince 31 Dec 2010, until 2 Jan 2011
- Mangala (Mars)In Dhanusince 29 Nov 2010, until 7 Jan 2011
- Budha (Mercury)In Vrishchikasince 22 Dec 2010, until 7 Jan 2011
- Guru (Jupiter)In Meenasince 5 Dec 2010, until 8 May 2011
- Shukra (Venus)In Tulasince 31 Aug 2010, until 1 Jan 2011
- Shani (Saturn)In Kanyasince 9 Sep 2009, until 14 Nov 2011
- RahuIn Dhanusince 17 Nov 2009, until 6 Jun 2011
- KetuIn Mithunasince 17 Nov 2009, until 6 Jun 2011
Gochar calendar for 2011
Times in Los Angeles (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 2011
1 Jan3:01 am
Shukra enters Vrishchika
7 Jan10:48 am
Budha enters Dhanu
7 Jan10:16 pm
Mangala enters Makara
14 Jan5:01 am
Surya enters Makara
25 Jan9:38 pm
Shani turns retrograde at 23°13′ Kanya
29 Jan2:18 pm
Shukra enters Dhanu
30 Jan4:15 pm
Budha enters Makara
February 2011
4 Feb10:38 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 12 Mar†
12 Feb5:59 pm
Surya enters Kumbha
15 Feb3:01 am
Mangala enters Kumbha
18 Feb3:56 am
Budha enters Kumbha
24 Feb4:31 pm
Shukra enters Makara
March 2011
6 Mar6:41 am
Budha enters Meena
12 Mar5:09 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
14 Mar3:50 pm
Surya enters Meena
21 Mar11:59 pm
Shukra enters Kumbha
22 Mar2:19 pm
Guru becomes combust (asta) until 21 Apr†
25 Mar5:52 am
Mangala enters Meena
28 Mar5:04 am
Budha enters Mesha
30 Mar1:47 pm
Budha turns retrograde at 0°21′ Mesha
April 2011
1 Apr8:25 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 16 Apr†
2 Apr12:00 am
Budha enters Meena (moving backward)
14 Apr12:17 am
Surya enters Mesha
15 Apr10:10 pm
Shukra enters Meena
16 Apr4:19 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
21 Apr4:56 am
Guru rises again (asta ends)†
23 Apr3:04 am
Budha turns direct at 18°53′ Meena
25 Apr11:55 am
Mangala rises again (asta ends)†
May 2011
3 May2:02 am
Mangala enters Mesha
8 May12:51 am
Guru enters Mesha
10 May4:44 pm
Shukra enters Mesha
10 May8:05 pm
Budha enters Mesha
14 May9:07 pm
Surya enters Vrishabha
30 May11:30 am
Budha enters Vrishabha
31 May12:30 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 24 Jun†
June 2011
4 Jun9:21 am
Shukra enters Vrishabha
6 Jun6:16 am
Rahu enters Vrishchika (moving backward)
6 Jun6:16 am
Ketu enters Vrishabha (moving backward)
12 Jun12:07 pm
Mangala enters Vrishabha
12 Jun9:23 pm
Shani turns direct at 16°26′ Kanya
13 Jun6:20 pm
Budha enters Mithuna
15 Jun3:43 am
Surya enters Mithuna
24 Jun10:14 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
28 Jun12:05 pm
Budha enters Karka
28 Jun11:49 pm
Shukra enters Mithuna
July 2011
10 Jul8:03 pm
Shukra becomes combust (asta) until 22 Sep†
16 Jul2:37 pm
Surya enters Karka
19 Jul10:59 pm
Budha enters Simha
23 Jul11:13 am
Shukra enters Karka
25 Jul5:36 am
Mangala enters Mithuna
August 2011
2 Aug8:49 pm
Budha turns retrograde at 7°11′ Simha
9 Aug6:51 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 24 Aug†
16 Aug12:18 pm
Budha enters Karka (moving backward)
16 Aug7:05 pm
Shukra enters Simha
16 Aug11:05 pm
Surya enters Simha
24 Aug6:32 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
26 Aug3:03 pm
Budha turns direct at 24°41′ Karka
30 Aug2:00 am
Guru turns retrograde at 16°20′ Mesha
September 2011
4 Sep1:45 pm
Budha enters Simha
9 Sep2:55 am
Mangala enters Karka
10 Sep12:00 am
Shukra enters Kanya
12 Sep5:43 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 19 Oct†
16 Sep11:04 pm
Surya enters Kanya
22 Sep1:21 am
Shukra rises again (asta ends)†
22 Sep8:18 am
Budha enters Kanya
26 Sep5:30 am
Shani becomes combust (asta) until 30 Oct†
October 2011
4 Oct3:21 am
Shukra enters Tula
9 Oct10:54 am
Budha enters Tula
17 Oct11:04 am
Surya enters Tula
19 Oct7:56 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
28 Oct6:23 am
Shukra enters Vrishchika
29 Oct2:40 am
Budha enters Vrishchika
30 Oct9:14 am
Mangala enters Simha
30 Oct6:15 pm
Shani rises again (asta ends)†
November 2011
14 Nov6:55 pm
Shani enters Tula
16 Nov9:52 am
Surya enters Vrishchika
21 Nov8:56 am
Shukra enters Dhanu
23 Nov11:19 pm
Budha turns retrograde at 26°06′ Vrishchika
28 Nov1:30 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 9 Dec†
December 2011
9 Dec1:13 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
13 Dec5:43 pm
Budha turns direct at 9°50′ Vrishchika
15 Dec2:09 pm
Shukra enters Makara
16 Dec12:31 am
Surya enters Dhanu
25 Dec2:23 pm
Guru turns direct at 6°20′ Mesha
† 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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