Panchang · Gochar
Gochar 2021: when each graha changes sign
In 2021, Guru moves into Kumbha on 5 Apr; Guru moves into Makara on 14 Sep; Guru moves into Kumbha on 20 Nov. Below is every sign change, station and asta period of the nine grahas.
Times in Durban (Africa/Johannesburg, UTC+2).
The grahas on 1 January 2021
Sidereal (Lahiri) sign, and from when to when. Open a graha for its whole year.
- Surya (Sun)In Dhanusince 15 Dec 2020, until 14 Jan 2021
- Chandra (Moon)In Karkasince 31 Dec 2020, until 2 Jan 2021
- Mangala (Mars)In Meshasince 24 Dec 2020, until 22 Feb 2021
- Budha (Mercury)In Dhanusince 17 Dec 2020, until 5 Jan 2021
- Guru (Jupiter)In Makarasince 20 Nov 2020, until 5 Apr 2021
- Shukra (Venus)In Vrishchikasince 11 Dec 2020, until 4 Jan 2021
- Shani (Saturn)In Makarasince 24 Jan 2020, until 29 Apr 2022
- RahuIn Vrishabhasince 23 Sep 2020, until 12 Apr 2022
- KetuIn Vrishchikasince 23 Sep 2020, until 12 Apr 2022
Gochar calendar for 2021
Times in Durban (Africa/Johannesburg, UTC+2). 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 2021
4 Jan1:34 am
Shukra enters Dhanu
5 Jan12:25 am
Budha enters Makara
7 Jan1:11 pm
Shani becomes combust (asta) until 9 Feb†
12 Jan1:10 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
14 Jan4:45 am
Surya enters Makara
15 Jan1:28 am
Guru becomes combust (asta) until 12 Feb†
25 Jan12:59 pm
Budha enters Kumbha
28 Jan12:00 am
Shukra enters Makara
30 Jan5:51 pm
Budha turns retrograde at 2°20′ Kumbha
February 2021
2 Feb12:04 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 14 Feb†
4 Feb7:34 pm
Budha enters Makara (moving backward)
9 Feb10:35 pm
Shani rises again (asta ends)†
12 Feb7:31 am
Guru rises again (asta ends)†
12 Feb5:42 pm
Surya enters Kumbha
13 Feb9:50 pm
Shukra becomes combust (asta) until 4 May†
14 Feb9:27 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
20 Feb10:52 pm
Shukra enters Kumbha
21 Feb2:52 am
Budha turns direct at 16°52′ Makara
22 Feb1:07 am
Mangala enters Vrishabha
March 2021
11 Mar9:04 am
Budha enters Kumbha
14 Mar2:34 pm
Surya enters Meena
16 Mar11:31 pm
Shukra enters Meena
31 Mar9:14 pm
Budha enters Meena
April 2021
4 Apr11:18 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 1 May†
5 Apr8:59 pm
Guru enters Kumbha
10 Apr3:00 am
Shukra enters Mesha
13 Apr9:45 pm
Mangala enters Mithuna
13 Apr11:04 pm
Surya enters Mesha
16 Apr5:28 pm
Budha enters Mesha
May 2021
1 May2:12 am
Budha enters Vrishabha
1 May7:41 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
4 May3:15 am
Shukra rises again (asta ends)†
4 May9:57 am
Shukra enters Vrishabha
14 May7:56 pm
Surya enters Vrishabha
23 May10:44 am
Shani turns retrograde at 19°22′ Makara
26 May5:04 am
Budha enters Mithuna
28 May8:31 pm
Shukra enters Mithuna
30 May12:33 am
Budha turns retrograde at 0°34′ Mithuna
June 2021
2 Jun3:23 am
Mangala enters Karka
2 Jun3:35 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 19 Jun†
2 Jun11:00 pm
Budha enters Vrishabha (moving backward)
15 Jun2:32 am
Surya enters Mithuna
19 Jun4:35 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
20 Jun4:47 pm
Guru turns retrograde at 8°02′ Kumbha
22 Jun10:52 am
Shukra enters Karka
23 Jun12:00 am
Budha turns direct at 21°58′ Vrishabha
July 2021
7 Jul7:43 am
Budha enters Mithuna
16 Jul1:23 pm
Surya enters Karka
17 Jul5:56 am
Shukra enters Simha
19 Jul10:47 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 16 Aug†
20 Jul2:25 pm
Mangala enters Simha
25 Jul8:12 am
Budha enters Karka
August 2021
8 Aug10:02 pm
Budha enters Simha
11 Aug8:02 am
Shukra enters Kanya
16 Aug1:06 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
16 Aug9:47 pm
Surya enters Simha
17 Aug10:40 am
Mangala becomes combust (asta) until 29 Nov†
26 Aug7:48 am
Budha enters Kanya
September 2021
5 Sep9:20 pm
Shukra enters Tula
6 Sep12:28 am
Mangala enters Kanya
14 Sep10:47 am
Guru enters Makara (moving backward)
16 Sep9:43 pm
Surya enters Kanya
22 Sep4:41 am
Budha enters Tula
27 Sep7:09 am
Budha turns retrograde at 1°19′ Tula
October 2021
1 Oct11:30 pm
Budha enters Kanya (moving backward)
2 Oct6:17 am
Shukra enters Vrishchika
3 Oct9:47 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 16 Oct†
11 Oct4:49 am
Shani turns direct at 12°43′ Makara
16 Oct12:45 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
17 Oct9:43 am
Surya enters Tula
18 Oct7:46 am
Guru turns direct at 28°10′ Makara
18 Oct5:17 pm
Budha turns direct at 15°58′ Kanya
21 Oct10:33 pm
Mangala enters Tula
30 Oct12:41 pm
Shukra enters Dhanu
November 2021
2 Nov6:25 am
Budha enters Tula
5 Nov1:22 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 24 Dec†
16 Nov9:33 am
Surya enters Vrishchika
20 Nov8:08 pm
Guru enters Kumbha
21 Nov1:20 am
Budha enters Vrishchika
29 Nov3:50 am
Mangala rises again (asta ends)†
December 2021
5 Dec2:29 am
Mangala enters Vrishchika
8 Dec10:21 am
Shukra enters Makara
10 Dec2:35 am
Budha enters Dhanu
16 Dec12:14 am
Surya enters Dhanu
19 Dec12:34 pm
Shukra turns retrograde at 2°20′ Makara
24 Dec1:58 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
29 Dec8:00 am
Budha enters Makara
30 Dec4:29 am
Shukra enters Dhanu (moving backward)
† 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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