Panchang · Gochar
Gochar 2019: when each graha changes sign
In 2019, Rahu moves into Mithuna on 7 Mar; Guru moves into Dhanu on 30 Mar; Guru moves into Vrishchika on 23 Apr; Guru moves into Dhanu on 5 Nov. Below is every sign change, station and asta period of the nine grahas.
Times in Auckland (Pacific/Auckland, NZDT/NZST).
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 15 Jan 2019
- Chandra (Moon)In Tulasince 31 Dec 2018, until 2 Jan 2019
- Mangala (Mars)In Meenasince 23 Dec 2018, until 6 Feb 2019
- Budha (Mercury)In Vrishchikasince 27 Oct 2018, until 1 Jan 2019
- Guru (Jupiter)In Vrishchikasince 12 Oct 2018, until 30 Mar 2019
- Shukra (Venus)In Tulasince 2 Sep 2018, until 2 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 Auckland (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 2019
1 Jan5:20 pm
Budha enters Dhanu
2 Jan4:13 am
Shukra enters Vrishchika
6 Jan5:07 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 17 Feb†
15 Jan3:21 am
Surya enters Makara
19 Jan10:02 am
Shani rises again (asta ends)†
21 Jan4:36 am
Budha enters Makara
30 Jan6:58 am
Shukra enters Dhanu
February 2019
6 Feb7:17 am
Mangala enters Mesha
7 Feb5:40 pm
Budha enters Kumbha
13 Feb4:18 pm
Surya enters Kumbha
17 Feb11:21 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
25 Feb6:15 am
Shukra enters Makara
25 Feb4:23 pm
Budha enters Meena
March 2019
6 Mar7:18 am
Budha turns retrograde at 5°32′ Meena
7 Mar5:03 pm
Rahu enters Mithuna (moving backward)
7 Mar5:03 pm
Ketu enters Dhanu (moving backward)
8 Mar3:39 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 22 Mar†
15 Mar1:10 pm
Surya enters Meena
15 Mar4:29 pm
Budha enters Kumbha (moving backward)
22 Mar12:45 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
22 Mar11:15 am
Shukra enters Kumbha
22 Mar10:35 pm
Mangala enters Vrishabha
29 Mar2:59 am
Budha turns direct at 21°58′ Kumbha
30 Mar3:53 am
Guru enters Dhanu
April 2019
11 Apr4:43 am
Guru turns retrograde at 0°14′ Dhanu
12 Apr10:54 am
Budha enters Meena
14 Apr8:39 pm
Surya enters Mesha
16 Apr7:35 am
Shukra enters Meena
23 Apr7:11 am
Guru enters Vrishchika (moving backward)
30 Apr12:20 pm
Shani turns retrograde at 26°24′ Dhanu
May 2019
3 May11:33 pm
Budha enters Mesha
7 May1:25 pm
Mangala enters Mithuna
9 May10:02 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 3 Jun†
11 May1:36 am
Shukra enters Mesha
15 May5:32 pm
Surya enters Vrishabha
19 May6:05 am
Budha enters Vrishabha
June 2019
2 Jun6:47 am
Budha enters Mithuna
3 Jun3:30 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
4 Jun5:51 pm
Shukra enters Vrishabha
16 Jun12:09 am
Surya enters Mithuna
21 Jun8:57 am
Budha enters Karka
23 Jun5:53 am
Mangala enters Karka
29 Jun8:04 am
Shukra enters Mithuna
July 2019
8 Jul11:13 am
Budha turns retrograde at 10°20′ Karka
9 Jul9:09 am
Shukra becomes combust (asta) until 20 Sep†
12 Jul10:25 am
Mangala becomes combust (asta) until 23 Oct†
14 Jul8:04 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 30 Jul†
17 Jul11:03 am
Surya enters Karka
23 Jul7:19 pm
Shukra enters Karka
30 Jul3:59 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
30 Jul6:28 pm
Budha enters Mithuna (moving backward)
August 2019
1 Aug3:58 pm
Budha turns direct at 29°49′ Mithuna
3 Aug12:31 pm
Budha enters Karka
9 Aug11:17 am
Mangala enters Simha
12 Aug1:55 am
Guru turns direct at 20°23′ Vrishchika
17 Aug3:09 am
Shukra enters Simha
17 Aug7:32 pm
Surya enters Simha
21 Aug5:57 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 22 Sep†
26 Aug8:37 pm
Budha enters Simha
September 2019
10 Sep8:11 am
Shukra enters Kanya
11 Sep11:29 am
Budha enters Kanya
17 Sep7:33 pm
Surya enters Kanya
18 Sep9:20 pm
Shani turns direct at 19°47′ Dhanu
20 Sep12:35 pm
Shukra rises again (asta ends)†
22 Sep6:44 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
25 Sep1:04 pm
Mangala enters Kanya
29 Sep8:25 pm
Budha enters Tula
October 2019
4 Oct12:45 pm
Shukra enters Tula
18 Oct8:34 am
Surya enters Tula
23 Oct4:25 am
Mangala rises again (asta ends)†
24 Oct6:43 am
Budha enters Vrishchika
28 Oct4:03 pm
Shukra enters Vrishchika
November 2019
1 Nov4:41 am
Budha turns retrograde at 3°31′ Vrishchika
5 Nov12:55 pm
Guru enters Dhanu
6 Nov3:36 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 17 Nov†
7 Nov11:24 pm
Budha enters Tula (moving backward)
10 Nov9:56 pm
Mangala enters Tula
17 Nov8:22 am
Surya enters Vrishchika
17 Nov10:05 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
21 Nov8:11 am
Budha turns direct at 17°28′ Tula
21 Nov7:53 pm
Shukra enters Dhanu
December 2019
5 Dec6:05 pm
Budha enters Vrishchika
14 Dec8:42 am
Guru becomes combust (asta) until 11 Jan†
16 Dec1:29 am
Shukra enters Makara
16 Dec11:25 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 31 Jan†
16 Dec10:58 pm
Surya enters Dhanu
25 Dec11:16 pm
Budha enters Dhanu
26 Dec5:00 am
Mangala enters Vrishchika
28 Dec12:56 pm
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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