Panchang · Gochar
Gochar 2017: when each graha changes sign
In 2017, Shani moves into Dhanu on 26 Jan; Shani moves into Vrishchika on 21 Jun; Rahu moves into Karka on 18 Aug; Guru moves into Tula on 12 Sep; Shani moves into Dhanu on 26 Oct. Below is every sign change, station and asta period of the nine grahas.
Times in Nairobi (Africa/Nairobi, UTC+3).
The grahas on 1 January 2017
Sidereal (Lahiri) sign, and from when to when. Open a graha for its whole year.
- Surya (Sun)In Dhanusince 15 Dec 2016, until 14 Jan 2017
- Chandra (Moon)In Makarasince 30 Dec 2016, until 2 Jan 2017
- Mangala (Mars)In Kumbhasince 11 Dec 2016, until 20 Jan 2017
- Budha (Mercury)RetrogradeIn Dhanusince 28 Nov 2016, until 3 Feb 2017
- Guru (Jupiter)In Kanyasince 11 Aug 2016, until 12 Sep 2017
- Shukra (Venus)In Kumbhasince 29 Dec 2016, until 27 Jan 2017
- Shani (Saturn)In Vrishchikasince 2 Nov 2014, until 26 Jan 2017
- RahuIn Simhasince 30 Jan 2016, until 18 Aug 2017
- KetuIn Kumbhasince 30 Jan 2016, until 18 Aug 2017
Gochar calendar for 2017
Times in Nairobi (Africa/Nairobi, UTC+3). 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 2017
3 Jan8:12 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
8 Jan12:43 pm
Budha turns direct at 4°46′ Dhanu
14 Jan5:05 am
Surya enters Makara
20 Jan11:13 am
Mangala enters Meena
26 Jan4:26 pm
Shani enters Dhanu
27 Jan5:43 pm
Shukra enters Meena
February 2017
3 Feb10:46 am
Budha enters Makara
6 Feb9:34 am
Guru turns retrograde at 29°03′ Kanya
12 Feb6:05 pm
Surya enters Kumbha
16 Feb12:25 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 22 Mar†
22 Feb4:14 pm
Budha enters Kumbha
March 2017
2 Mar12:05 am
Mangala enters Mesha
4 Mar12:07 pm
Shukra turns retrograde at 19°03′ Meena
11 Mar12:05 am
Budha enters Meena
14 Mar3:00 pm
Surya enters Meena
20 Mar1:46 pm
Shukra becomes combust (asta) until 30 Mar†
22 Mar12:36 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
27 Mar5:03 am
Budha enters Mesha
30 Mar1:19 pm
Shukra rises again (asta ends)†
April 2017
6 Apr7:32 am
Shani turns retrograde at 3°42′ Dhanu
10 Apr2:13 am
Budha turns retrograde at 10°45′ Mesha
12 Apr10:00 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 27 Apr†
13 Apr1:39 am
Mangala enters Vrishabha
13 Apr11:32 pm
Surya enters Mesha
15 Apr1:19 pm
Shukra turns direct at 2°49′ Meena
27 Apr8:48 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
May 2017
3 May7:33 pm
Budha turns direct at 0°10′ Mesha
14 May8:24 pm
Surya enters Vrishabha
26 May11:00 pm
Mangala enters Mithuna
31 May6:24 am
Shukra enters Mesha
31 May2:13 pm
Mangala becomes combust (asta) until 17 Sep†
June 2017
3 Jun5:22 pm
Budha enters Vrishabha
9 Jun2:22 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 4 Jul†
9 Jun5:20 pm
Guru turns direct at 19°07′ Kanya
15 Jun3:00 am
Surya enters Mithuna
18 Jun8:21 pm
Budha enters Mithuna
21 Jun2:34 am
Shani enters Vrishchika (moving backward)
29 Jun5:02 pm
Shukra enters Vrishabha
July 2017
3 Jul12:33 am
Budha enters Karka
4 Jul3:07 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
11 Jul12:26 pm
Mangala enters Karka
16 Jul1:52 pm
Surya enters Karka
21 Jul7:48 am
Budha enters Simha
26 Jul2:36 pm
Shukra enters Mithuna
August 2017
13 Aug3:59 am
Budha turns retrograde at 17°32′ Simha
16 Aug10:15 pm
Surya enters Simha
18 Aug4:06 am
Rahu enters Karka (moving backward)
18 Aug4:06 am
Ketu enters Makara (moving backward)
20 Aug6:41 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 3 Sep†
21 Aug8:20 am
Shukra enters Karka
25 Aug3:42 pm
Shani turns direct at 27°05′ Vrishchika
27 Aug5:56 am
Mangala enters Simha
September 2017
3 Sep6:00 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
5 Sep2:29 pm
Budha turns direct at 4°19′ Simha
12 Sep4:13 am
Guru enters Tula
15 Sep8:00 am
Shukra enters Simha
16 Sep10:08 pm
Surya enters Kanya
17 Sep7:39 am
Mangala rises again (asta ends)†
21 Sep2:50 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 31 Oct†
26 Sep9:58 pm
Budha enters Kanya
October 2017
9 Oct6:54 pm
Shukra enters Kanya
12 Oct5:09 pm
Guru becomes combust (asta) until 9 Nov†
13 Oct1:31 pm
Mangala enters Kanya
13 Oct9:21 pm
Budha enters Tula
17 Oct10:04 am
Surya enters Tula
26 Oct12:48 pm
Shani enters Dhanu
31 Oct7:46 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
November 2017
1 Nov10:13 pm
Budha enters Vrishchika
2 Nov9:30 pm
Shukra enters Tula
9 Nov10:13 pm
Guru rises again (asta ends)†
16 Nov9:51 am
Surya enters Vrishchika
24 Nov11:23 am
Budha enters Dhanu
26 Nov7:38 pm
Shukra enters Vrishchika
28 Nov10:00 pm
Shukra becomes combust (asta) until 20 Feb†
30 Nov2:50 am
Mangala enters Tula
December 2017
3 Dec10:33 am
Budha turns retrograde at 5°12′ Dhanu
5 Dec8:01 am
Shani becomes combust (asta) until 7 Jan†
7 Dec5:03 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 18 Dec†
11 Dec1:48 am
Budha enters Vrishchika (moving backward)
16 Dec12:29 am
Surya enters Dhanu
18 Dec3:57 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
20 Dec4:01 pm
Shukra enters Dhanu
23 Dec4:51 am
Budha turns direct at 18°54′ Vrishchika
† 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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