Panchang · Gochar
Gochar 2012: when each graha changes sign
In 2012, Shani moves into Kanya on 16 May; Guru moves into Vrishabha on 17 May; Shani moves into Tula on 4 Aug; Rahu moves into Tula on 23 Dec. Below is every sign change, station and asta period of the nine grahas.
Times in Birmingham (Europe/London, GMT/BST).
The grahas on 1 January 2012
Sidereal (Lahiri) sign, and from when to when. Open a graha for its whole year.
- Surya (Sun)In Dhanusince 16 Dec 2011, until 14 Jan 2012
- Chandra (Moon)In Meenasince 30 Dec 2011, until 2 Jan 2012
- Mangala (Mars)In Simhasince 30 Oct 2011, until 21 Jun 2012
- Budha (Mercury)In Vrishchikasince 29 Oct 2011, until 4 Jan 2012
- Guru (Jupiter)In Meshasince 8 May 2011, until 17 May 2012
- Shukra (Venus)In Makarasince 15 Dec 2011, until 9 Jan 2012
- Shani (Saturn)In Tulasince 15 Nov 2011, until 16 May 2012
- RahuIn Vrishchikasince 6 Jun 2011, until 23 Dec 2012
- KetuIn Vrishabhasince 6 Jun 2011, until 23 Dec 2012
Gochar calendar for 2012
Times in Birmingham (Europe/London, GMT/BST). 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 2012
4 Jan1:33 am
Budha enters Dhanu
9 Jan7:58 am
Shukra enters Kumbha
14 Jan7:15 pm
Surya enters Makara
15 Jan12:40 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 24 Feb†
24 Jan12:49 am
Mangala turns retrograde at 29°04′ Simha
24 Jan1:17 am
Budha enters Makara
February 2012
3 Feb4:48 am
Shukra enters Meena
7 Feb1:31 pm
Shani turns retrograde at 5°29′ Tula
10 Feb6:33 pm
Budha enters Kumbha
13 Feb8:15 am
Surya enters Kumbha
24 Feb7:13 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
27 Feb10:26 am
Budha enters Meena
29 Feb1:41 am
Shukra enters Mesha
March 2012
12 Mar7:48 am
Budha turns retrograde at 12°48′ Meena
14 Mar5:08 am
Surya enters Meena
14 Mar3:16 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 28 Mar†
28 Mar9:38 am
Shukra enters Vrishabha
28 Mar11:09 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
April 2012
2 Apr12:29 pm
Budha enters Kumbha (moving backward)
4 Apr11:11 am
Budha turns direct at 29°49′ Kumbha
6 Apr10:40 am
Budha enters Meena
13 Apr2:37 pm
Surya enters Mesha
14 Apr4:57 am
Mangala turns direct at 9°40′ Simha
28 Apr1:30 pm
Guru becomes combust (asta) until 28 May†
May 2012
5 May4:29 pm
Budha enters Mesha
14 May11:28 am
Surya enters Vrishabha
15 May1:39 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 8 Jun†
15 May3:31 pm
Shukra turns retrograde at 29°58′ Vrishabha
16 May5:20 am
Shani enters Kanya (moving backward)
17 May4:15 am
Guru enters Vrishabha
21 May5:16 pm
Budha enters Vrishabha
28 May5:56 pm
Guru rises again (asta ends)†
31 May11:50 pm
Shukra becomes combust (asta) until 11 Jun†
June 2012
4 Jun1:54 pm
Budha enters Mithuna
8 Jun2:29 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
11 Jun4:37 am
Shukra rises again (asta ends)†
14 Jun6:02 pm
Surya enters Mithuna
21 Jun1:58 pm
Budha enters Karka
21 Jun7:11 pm
Mangala enters Kanya
25 Jun9:33 am
Shani turns direct at 28°44′ Kanya
27 Jun4:08 pm
Shukra turns direct at 13°28′ Vrishabha
July 2012
15 Jul3:15 am
Budha turns retrograde at 18°31′ Karka
16 Jul4:53 am
Surya enters Karka
21 Jul9:42 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 5 Aug†
31 Jul3:04 pm
Shukra enters Mithuna
August 2012
4 Aug12:55 am
Shani enters Tula
5 Aug8:05 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
8 Aug6:40 am
Budha turns direct at 7°24′ Karka
14 Aug5:01 am
Mangala enters Tula
16 Aug1:16 pm
Surya enters Simha
26 Aug5:52 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 29 Sep†
29 Aug12:35 am
Budha enters Simha
September 2012
1 Sep1:32 am
Shukra enters Karka
13 Sep4:55 pm
Budha enters Kanya
16 Sep1:12 pm
Surya enters Kanya
28 Sep4:02 am
Shukra enters Simha
28 Sep3:58 pm
Mangala enters Vrishchika
29 Sep6:14 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
October 2012
1 Oct1:02 pm
Budha enters Tula
4 Oct2:01 pm
Guru turns retrograde at 22°21′ Vrishabha
8 Oct4:47 am
Shani becomes combust (asta) until 11 Nov†
17 Oct1:09 am
Surya enters Tula
23 Oct10:10 am
Budha enters Vrishchika
23 Oct3:14 pm
Shukra enters Kanya
November 2012
6 Nov11:03 pm
Budha turns retrograde at 10°16′ Vrishchika
9 Nov3:55 am
Mangala enters Dhanu
11 Nov9:06 am
Shani rises again (asta ends)†
12 Nov3:46 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 23 Nov†
15 Nov11:55 pm
Surya enters Vrishchika
17 Nov5:14 am
Shukra enters Tula
18 Nov9:51 pm
Budha enters Tula (moving backward)
23 Nov7:34 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
26 Nov10:47 pm
Budha turns direct at 24°08′ Tula
December 2012
6 Dec3:30 am
Budha enters Vrishchika
11 Dec9:52 am
Shukra enters Vrishchika
15 Dec2:33 pm
Surya enters Dhanu
18 Dec9:33 am
Mangala enters Makara
23 Dec4:14 pm
Rahu enters Tula (moving backward)
23 Dec4:14 pm
Ketu enters Mesha (moving backward)
24 Dec5:26 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 7 Feb†
27 Dec4:28 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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