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 Washington, D.C. (America/New York, EST/EDT).
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 13 Jan 2021
- Chandra (Moon)In Karkasince 31 Dec 2020, until 2 Jan 2021
- Mangala (Mars)In Meshasince 23 Dec 2020, until 21 Feb 2021
- Budha (Mercury)In Dhanusince 17 Dec 2020, until 4 Jan 2021
- Guru (Jupiter)In Makarasince 20 Nov 2020, until 5 Apr 2021
- Shukra (Venus)In Vrishchikasince 10 Dec 2020, until 3 Jan 2021
- Shani (Saturn)In Makarasince 23 Jan 2020, until 28 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 Washington, D.C. (America/New York, EST/EDT). 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
3 Jan6:34 pm
Shukra enters Dhanu
4 Jan5:25 pm
Budha enters Makara
7 Jan6:11 am
Shani becomes combust (asta) until 9 Feb†
12 Jan6:10 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
13 Jan9:45 pm
Surya enters Makara
14 Jan6:28 pm
Guru becomes combust (asta) until 12 Feb†
25 Jan5:59 am
Budha enters Kumbha
27 Jan5:00 pm
Shukra enters Makara
30 Jan10:51 am
Budha turns retrograde at 2°20′ Kumbha
February 2021
2 Feb5:04 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 14 Feb†
4 Feb12:34 pm
Budha enters Makara (moving backward)
9 Feb3:35 pm
Shani rises again (asta ends)†
12 Feb12:31 am
Guru rises again (asta ends)†
12 Feb10:42 am
Surya enters Kumbha
13 Feb2:50 pm
Shukra becomes combust (asta) until 3 May†
14 Feb2:27 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
20 Feb3:52 pm
Shukra enters Kumbha
20 Feb7:52 pm
Budha turns direct at 16°52′ Makara
21 Feb6:07 pm
Mangala enters Vrishabha
March 2021
11 Mar2:04 am
Budha enters Kumbha
14 Mar8:34 am
Surya enters Meena
16 Mar5:31 pm
Shukra enters Meena
31 Mar3:14 pm
Budha enters Meena
April 2021
4 Apr5:18 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 1 May†
5 Apr2:59 pm
Guru enters Kumbha
9 Apr9:00 pm
Shukra enters Mesha
13 Apr3:45 pm
Mangala enters Mithuna
13 Apr5:04 pm
Surya enters Mesha
16 Apr11:28 am
Budha enters Mesha
30 Apr8:12 pm
Budha enters Vrishabha
May 2021
1 May1:41 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
3 May9:15 pm
Shukra rises again (asta ends)†
4 May3:57 am
Shukra enters Vrishabha
14 May1:56 pm
Surya enters Vrishabha
23 May4:44 am
Shani turns retrograde at 19°22′ Makara
25 May11:04 pm
Budha enters Mithuna
28 May2:31 pm
Shukra enters Mithuna
29 May6:33 pm
Budha turns retrograde at 0°34′ Mithuna
June 2021
1 Jun9:23 pm
Mangala enters Karka
2 Jun9:35 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 19 Jun†
2 Jun5:00 pm
Budha enters Vrishabha (moving backward)
14 Jun8:32 pm
Surya enters Mithuna
19 Jun10:35 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
20 Jun10:47 am
Guru turns retrograde at 8°02′ Kumbha
22 Jun4:52 am
Shukra enters Karka
22 Jun6:00 pm
Budha turns direct at 21°58′ Vrishabha
July 2021
7 Jul1:43 am
Budha enters Mithuna
16 Jul7:23 am
Surya enters Karka
16 Jul11:56 pm
Shukra enters Simha
19 Jul4:47 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 15 Aug†
20 Jul8:25 am
Mangala enters Simha
25 Jul2:12 am
Budha enters Karka
August 2021
8 Aug4:02 pm
Budha enters Simha
11 Aug2:02 am
Shukra enters Kanya
15 Aug7:06 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
16 Aug3:47 pm
Surya enters Simha
17 Aug4:40 am
Mangala becomes combust (asta) until 28 Nov†
26 Aug1:48 am
Budha enters Kanya
September 2021
5 Sep3:20 pm
Shukra enters Tula
5 Sep6:28 pm
Mangala enters Kanya
14 Sep4:47 am
Guru enters Makara (moving backward)
16 Sep3:43 pm
Surya enters Kanya
21 Sep10:41 pm
Budha enters Tula
27 Sep1:09 am
Budha turns retrograde at 1°19′ Tula
October 2021
1 Oct5:30 pm
Budha enters Kanya (moving backward)
2 Oct12:17 am
Shukra enters Vrishchika
3 Oct3:47 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 15 Oct†
10 Oct10:49 pm
Shani turns direct at 12°43′ Makara
15 Oct6:45 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
17 Oct3:43 am
Surya enters Tula
18 Oct1:46 am
Guru turns direct at 28°10′ Makara
18 Oct11:17 am
Budha turns direct at 15°58′ Kanya
21 Oct4:33 pm
Mangala enters Tula
30 Oct6:41 am
Shukra enters Dhanu
November 2021
2 Nov12:25 am
Budha enters Tula
5 Nov7:22 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 24 Dec†
16 Nov2:33 am
Surya enters Vrishchika
20 Nov1:08 pm
Guru enters Kumbha
20 Nov6:20 pm
Budha enters Vrishchika
28 Nov8:50 pm
Mangala rises again (asta ends)†
December 2021
4 Dec7:29 pm
Mangala enters Vrishchika
8 Dec3:21 am
Shukra enters Makara
9 Dec7:35 pm
Budha enters Dhanu
15 Dec5:14 pm
Surya enters Dhanu
19 Dec5:34 am
Shukra turns retrograde at 2°20′ Makara
24 Dec6:58 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
29 Dec1:00 am
Budha enters Makara
29 Dec9:29 pm
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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