Panchang · Gochar
Gochar 2022: when each graha changes sign
In 2022, Rahu moves into Mesha on 12 Apr; Guru moves into Meena on 13 Apr; Shani moves into Kumbha on 29 Apr; Shani moves into Makara on 12 Jul. Below is every sign change, station and asta period of the nine grahas.
Times in Birmingham (Europe/London, GMT/BST).
The grahas on 1 January 2022
Sidereal (Lahiri) sign, and from when to when. Open a graha for its whole year.
- Surya (Sun)In Dhanusince 15 Dec 2021, until 14 Jan 2022
- Chandra (Moon)In Vrishchikasince 30 Dec 2021, until 1 Jan 2022
- Mangala (Mars)In Vrishchikasince 5 Dec 2021, until 16 Jan 2022
- Budha (Mercury)In Makarasince 29 Dec 2021, until 6 Mar 2022
- Guru (Jupiter)In Kumbhasince 20 Nov 2021, until 13 Apr 2022
- Shukra (Venus)RetrogradeIn Dhanusince 30 Dec 2021, until 27 Feb 2022
- 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 2022
Times in Birmingham (Europe/London, GMT/BST). 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 2022
4 Jan1:57 am
Shukra becomes combust (asta) until 13 Jan†
13 Jan11:44 pm
Shukra rises again (asta ends)†
14 Jan8:59 am
Surya enters Makara
14 Jan11:41 am
Budha turns retrograde at 16°11′ Makara
16 Jan11:00 am
Mangala enters Dhanu
17 Jan1:39 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 28 Jan†
19 Jan1:52 am
Shani becomes combust (asta) until 21 Feb†
28 Jan11:37 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
29 Jan8:47 am
Shukra turns direct at 16°55′ Dhanu
February 2022
4 Feb4:13 am
Budha turns direct at 0°13′ Makara
12 Feb9:56 pm
Surya enters Kumbha
19 Feb4:38 am
Guru becomes combust (asta) until 20 Mar†
21 Feb2:46 pm
Shani rises again (asta ends)†
26 Feb10:18 am
Mangala enters Makara
27 Feb4:49 am
Shukra enters Makara
March 2022
6 Mar5:52 am
Budha enters Kumbha
14 Mar6:46 pm
Surya enters Meena
18 Mar10:48 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 16 Apr†
20 Mar2:59 am
Guru rises again (asta ends)†
24 Mar5:27 am
Budha enters Meena
31 Mar4:10 am
Shukra enters Kumbha
April 2022
7 Apr10:45 am
Mangala enters Kumbha
8 Apr7:29 am
Budha enters Mesha
12 Apr10:59 am
Rahu enters Mesha (moving backward)
12 Apr10:59 am
Ketu enters Tula (moving backward)
13 Apr11:19 am
Guru enters Meena
14 Apr4:11 am
Surya enters Mesha
16 Apr7:13 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
24 Apr7:43 pm
Budha enters Vrishabha
27 Apr1:46 pm
Shukra enters Meena
29 Apr3:25 am
Shani enters Kumbha
May 2022
10 May12:46 pm
Budha turns retrograde at 10°41′ Vrishabha
13 May8:30 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 30 May†
15 May12:59 am
Surya enters Vrishabha
17 May5:02 am
Mangala enters Meena
23 May3:56 pm
Shukra enters Mesha
30 May4:07 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
June 2022
3 Jun9:01 am
Budha turns direct at 1°55′ Vrishabha
4 Jun10:13 pm
Shani turns retrograde at 1°05′ Kumbha
15 Jun7:33 am
Surya enters Mithuna
18 Jun3:45 am
Shukra enters Vrishabha
27 Jun1:09 am
Mangala enters Mesha
July 2022
2 Jul5:14 am
Budha enters Mithuna
4 Jul12:59 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 30 Jul†
12 Jul10:35 am
Shani enters Makara (moving backward)
13 Jul6:19 am
Shukra enters Mithuna
16 Jul6:25 pm
Surya enters Karka
16 Jul7:38 pm
Budha enters Karka
28 Jul9:20 pm
Guru turns retrograde at 14°33′ Meena
30 Jul5:17 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
31 Jul11:13 pm
Budha enters Simha
August 2022
7 Aug12:49 am
Shukra enters Karka
10 Aug4:38 pm
Mangala enters Vrishabha
17 Aug2:52 am
Surya enters Simha
20 Aug9:32 pm
Budha enters Kanya
31 Aug11:47 am
Shukra enters Simha
September 2022
10 Sep4:37 am
Budha turns retrograde at 14°45′ Kanya
14 Sep10:20 pm
Shukra becomes combust (asta) until 2 Dec†
17 Sep2:51 am
Surya enters Kanya
17 Sep4:50 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 29 Sep†
24 Sep4:32 pm
Shukra enters Kanya
29 Sep10:41 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
October 2022
2 Oct10:07 am
Budha turns direct at 0°02′ Kanya
16 Oct2:02 am
Mangala enters Mithuna
17 Oct2:52 pm
Surya enters Tula
18 Oct3:12 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 4 Dec†
18 Oct5:09 pm
Shukra enters Tula
23 Oct5:39 am
Shani turns direct at 24°25′ Makara
26 Oct9:17 am
Budha enters Tula
30 Oct1:21 pm
Mangala turns retrograde at 1°26′ Mithuna
November 2022
11 Nov2:38 pm
Shukra enters Vrishchika
13 Nov3:25 pm
Mangala enters Vrishabha (moving backward)
13 Nov3:49 pm
Budha enters Vrishchika
16 Nov1:44 pm
Surya enters Vrishchika
23 Nov11:17 pm
Guru turns direct at 4°38′ Meena
December 2022
2 Dec1:07 am
Shukra rises again (asta ends)†
3 Dec1:16 am
Budha enters Dhanu
4 Dec9:13 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
5 Dec12:26 pm
Shukra enters Dhanu
16 Dec4:27 am
Surya enters Dhanu
27 Dec11:28 pm
Budha enters Makara
29 Dec9:31 am
Budha turns retrograde at 0°11′ Makara
29 Dec10:32 am
Shukra enters Makara
30 Dec6:42 pm
Budha 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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