Panchang · Gochar
Gochar 2014: when each graha changes sign
In 2014, Guru moves into Karka on 19 Jun; Rahu moves into Kanya on 13 Jul; Shani moves into Vrishchika on 3 Nov. Below is every sign change, station and asta period of the nine grahas.
Times in Wellington (Pacific/Auckland, NZDT/NZST).
The grahas on 1 January 2014
Sidereal (Lahiri) sign, and from when to when. Open a graha for its whole year.
- Surya (Sun)In Dhanusince 16 Dec 2013, until 14 Jan 2014
- Chandra (Moon)In Dhanusince 31 Dec 2013, until 2 Jan 2014
- Mangala (Mars)In Kanyasince 27 Nov 2013, until 4 Feb 2014
- Budha (Mercury)In Dhanusince 21 Dec 2013, until 8 Jan 2014
- Guru (Jupiter)RetrogradeIn Mithunasince 31 May 2013, until 19 Jun 2014
- Shukra (Venus)RetrogradeIn Makarasince 5 Dec 2013, until 7 Jan 2014
- Shani (Saturn)In Tulasince 4 Aug 2012, until 3 Nov 2014
- RahuIn Tulasince 24 Dec 2012, until 13 Jul 2014
- KetuIn Meshasince 24 Dec 2012, until 13 Jul 2014
Gochar calendar for 2014
Times in Wellington (Pacific/Auckland, NZDT/NZST). 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 2014
7 Jan2:41 am
Shukra becomes combust (asta) until 17 Jan†
7 Jan7:20 am
Shukra enters Dhanu (moving backward)
8 Jan8:42 pm
Budha enters Makara
14 Jan8:32 pm
Surya enters Makara
17 Jan12:17 am
Shukra rises again (asta ends)†
21 Jan1:05 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
27 Jan7:12 am
Budha enters Kumbha
February 2014
1 Feb9:49 am
Shukra turns direct at 19°31′ Dhanu
4 Feb9:14 pm
Mangala enters Tula
7 Feb10:43 am
Budha turns retrograde at 9°17′ Kumbha
10 Feb2:07 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 22 Feb†
13 Feb9:33 am
Surya enters Kumbha
19 Feb1:13 am
Budha enters Makara (moving backward)
22 Feb5:37 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
26 Feb7:17 pm
Shukra enters Makara
March 2014
1 Mar3:00 am
Budha turns direct at 24°07′ Makara
2 Mar5:19 am
Mangala turns retrograde at 3°29′ Tula
3 Mar4:47 am
Shani turns retrograde at 29°16′ Tula
6 Mar11:58 pm
Guru turns direct at 16°23′ Mithuna
12 Mar4:58 pm
Budha enters Kumbha
15 Mar6:26 am
Surya enters Meena
25 Mar5:55 pm
Mangala enters Kanya (moving backward)
31 Mar5:25 pm
Shukra enters Kumbha
April 2014
4 Apr2:57 pm
Budha enters Meena
12 Apr9:33 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 9 May†
14 Apr1:57 pm
Surya enters Mesha
21 Apr12:03 am
Budha enters Mesha
28 Apr7:02 am
Shukra enters Meena
May 2014
5 May4:32 am
Budha enters Vrishabha
9 May2:40 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
15 May10:49 am
Surya enters Vrishabha
20 May1:35 pm
Mangala turns direct at 14°58′ Kanya
23 May8:45 am
Budha enters Mithuna
24 May11:22 am
Shukra enters Mesha
June 2014
7 Jun11:55 pm
Budha turns retrograde at 9°07′ Mithuna
12 Jun1:43 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 29 Jun†
15 Jun5:23 pm
Surya enters Mithuna
19 Jun12:20 am
Shukra enters Vrishabha
19 Jun2:35 pm
Guru enters Karka
29 Jun12:11 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
July 2014
2 Jul12:50 am
Budha turns direct at 0°20′ Mithuna
10 Jul8:13 am
Guru becomes combust (asta) until 9 Aug†
13 Jul7:11 am
Rahu enters Kanya (moving backward)
13 Jul7:11 am
Ketu enters Meena (moving backward)
14 Jul3:34 am
Shukra enters Mithuna
14 Jul2:56 pm
Mangala enters Tula
17 Jul4:13 am
Surya enters Karka
21 Jul9:08 am
Shani turns direct at 22°35′ Tula
27 Jul5:06 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 24 Aug†
29 Jul12:04 pm
Budha enters Karka
August 2014
7 Aug10:28 pm
Shukra enters Karka
9 Aug7:45 am
Guru rises again (asta ends)†
13 Aug3:29 am
Budha enters Simha
17 Aug12:36 pm
Surya enters Simha
24 Aug2:32 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
29 Aug10:03 pm
Budha enters Kanya
September 2014
1 Sep9:37 am
Shukra enters Simha
5 Sep8:50 am
Mangala enters Vrishchika
17 Sep12:32 pm
Surya enters Kanya
17 Sep4:45 pm
Shukra becomes combust (asta) until 5 Dec†
21 Sep8:34 am
Budha enters Tula
25 Sep2:26 pm
Shukra enters Kanya
October 2014
5 Oct6:01 am
Budha turns retrograde at 8°15′ Tula
11 Oct3:24 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 23 Oct†
16 Oct8:46 pm
Budha enters Kanya (moving backward)
18 Oct1:32 am
Surya enters Tula
18 Oct9:08 pm
Mangala enters Dhanu
19 Oct4:01 pm
Shukra enters Tula
23 Oct12:58 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
26 Oct8:16 am
Budha turns direct at 22°42′ Kanya
November 2014
1 Nov11:32 pm
Shani becomes combust (asta) until 5 Dec†
3 Nov3:20 am
Shani enters Vrishchika
5 Nov4:50 am
Budha enters Tula
12 Nov2:27 pm
Shukra enters Vrishchika
14 Nov6:41 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 2 Jan†
17 Nov1:23 am
Surya enters Vrishchika
24 Nov9:22 pm
Budha enters Vrishchika
27 Nov8:18 pm
Mangala enters Makara
December 2014
5 Dec3:27 am
Shukra rises again (asta ends)†
5 Dec4:44 pm
Shani rises again (asta ends)†
6 Dec12:07 pm
Shukra enters Dhanu
9 Dec9:24 am
Guru turns retrograde at 28°34′ Karka
13 Dec10:35 pm
Budha enters Dhanu
16 Dec4:05 pm
Surya enters Dhanu
30 Dec10:03 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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