Panchang · Gochar
Gochar 2019: when each graha changes sign
In 2019, Rahu moves into Mithuna on 7 Mar; Guru moves into Dhanu on 29 Mar; Guru moves into Vrishchika on 22 Apr; Guru moves into Dhanu on 5 Nov. 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 2019
Sidereal (Lahiri) sign, and from when to when. Open a graha for its whole year.
- Surya (Sun)In Dhanusince 16 Dec 2018, until 14 Jan 2019
- Chandra (Moon)In Tulasince 30 Dec 2018, until 2 Jan 2019
- Mangala (Mars)In Meenasince 23 Dec 2018, until 5 Feb 2019
- Budha (Mercury)In Vrishchikasince 26 Oct 2018, until 1 Jan 2019
- Guru (Jupiter)In Vrishchikasince 11 Oct 2018, until 29 Mar 2019
- Shukra (Venus)In Tulasince 1 Sep 2018, until 1 Jan 2019
- Shani (Saturn)In Dhanusince 26 Oct 2017, until 24 Jan 2020
- RahuIn Karkasince 18 Aug 2017, until 7 Mar 2019
- KetuIn Makarasince 18 Aug 2017, until 7 Mar 2019
Gochar calendar for 2019
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 2019
1 Jan7:20 am
Budha enters Dhanu
1 Jan6:13 pm
Shukra enters Vrishchika
6 Jan7:07 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 17 Feb†
14 Jan5:21 pm
Surya enters Makara
19 Jan12:02 am
Shani rises again (asta ends)†
20 Jan6:36 pm
Budha enters Makara
29 Jan8:58 pm
Shukra enters Dhanu
February 2019
5 Feb9:17 pm
Mangala enters Mesha
7 Feb7:40 am
Budha enters Kumbha
13 Feb6:18 am
Surya enters Kumbha
17 Feb1:21 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
24 Feb8:15 pm
Shukra enters Makara
25 Feb6:23 am
Budha enters Meena
March 2019
5 Mar9:18 pm
Budha turns retrograde at 5°32′ Meena
7 Mar7:03 am
Rahu enters Mithuna (moving backward)
7 Mar7:03 am
Ketu enters Dhanu (moving backward)
8 Mar5:39 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 21 Mar†
15 Mar3:10 am
Surya enters Meena
15 Mar6:29 am
Budha enters Kumbha (moving backward)
21 Mar2:45 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
22 Mar1:15 am
Shukra enters Kumbha
22 Mar12:35 pm
Mangala enters Vrishabha
28 Mar4:59 pm
Budha turns direct at 21°58′ Kumbha
29 Mar5:53 pm
Guru enters Dhanu
April 2019
10 Apr7:43 pm
Guru turns retrograde at 0°14′ Dhanu
12 Apr1:54 am
Budha enters Meena
14 Apr11:39 am
Surya enters Mesha
15 Apr10:35 pm
Shukra enters Meena
22 Apr10:11 pm
Guru enters Vrishchika (moving backward)
30 Apr3:20 am
Shani turns retrograde at 26°24′ Dhanu
May 2019
3 May2:33 pm
Budha enters Mesha
7 May4:25 am
Mangala enters Mithuna
9 May1:02 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 2 Jun†
10 May4:36 pm
Shukra enters Mesha
15 May8:32 am
Surya enters Vrishabha
18 May9:05 pm
Budha enters Vrishabha
June 2019
1 Jun9:47 pm
Budha enters Mithuna
2 Jun6:30 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
4 Jun8:51 am
Shukra enters Vrishabha
15 Jun3:09 pm
Surya enters Mithuna
20 Jun11:57 pm
Budha enters Karka
22 Jun8:53 pm
Mangala enters Karka
28 Jun11:04 pm
Shukra enters Mithuna
July 2019
8 Jul2:13 am
Budha turns retrograde at 10°20′ Karka
9 Jul12:09 am
Shukra becomes combust (asta) until 20 Sep†
12 Jul1:25 am
Mangala becomes combust (asta) until 22 Oct†
13 Jul11:04 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 29 Jul†
17 Jul2:03 am
Surya enters Karka
23 Jul10:19 am
Shukra enters Karka
29 Jul6:59 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
30 Jul9:28 am
Budha enters Mithuna (moving backward)
August 2019
1 Aug6:58 am
Budha turns direct at 29°49′ Mithuna
3 Aug3:31 am
Budha enters Karka
9 Aug2:17 am
Mangala enters Simha
11 Aug4:55 pm
Guru turns direct at 20°23′ Vrishchika
16 Aug6:09 pm
Shukra enters Simha
17 Aug10:32 am
Surya enters Simha
20 Aug8:57 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 21 Sep†
26 Aug11:37 am
Budha enters Simha
September 2019
9 Sep11:11 pm
Shukra enters Kanya
11 Sep2:29 am
Budha enters Kanya
17 Sep10:33 am
Surya enters Kanya
18 Sep12:20 pm
Shani turns direct at 19°47′ Dhanu
20 Sep3:35 am
Shukra rises again (asta ends)†
21 Sep9:44 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
25 Sep4:04 am
Mangala enters Kanya
29 Sep10:25 am
Budha enters Tula
October 2019
4 Oct2:45 am
Shukra enters Tula
17 Oct10:34 pm
Surya enters Tula
22 Oct6:25 pm
Mangala rises again (asta ends)†
23 Oct8:43 pm
Budha enters Vrishchika
28 Oct6:03 am
Shukra enters Vrishchika
31 Oct6:41 pm
Budha turns retrograde at 3°31′ Vrishchika
November 2019
5 Nov2:55 am
Guru enters Dhanu
6 Nov5:36 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 17 Nov†
7 Nov1:24 pm
Budha enters Tula (moving backward)
10 Nov11:56 am
Mangala enters Tula
16 Nov10:22 pm
Surya enters Vrishchika
17 Nov12:05 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
20 Nov10:11 pm
Budha turns direct at 17°28′ Tula
21 Nov9:53 am
Shukra enters Dhanu
December 2019
5 Dec8:05 am
Budha enters Vrishchika
13 Dec10:42 pm
Guru becomes combust (asta) until 10 Jan†
15 Dec3:29 pm
Shukra enters Makara
16 Dec1:25 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 31 Jan†
16 Dec12:58 pm
Surya enters Dhanu
25 Dec1:16 pm
Budha enters Dhanu
25 Dec7:00 pm
Mangala enters Vrishchika
28 Dec2:56 am
Shani becomes combust (asta) until 30 Jan†
† 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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