Panchang · Gochar
Gochar 2023: when each graha changes sign
In 2023, Shani moves into Kumbha on 17 Jan; Guru moves into Mesha on 22 Apr; Rahu moves into Meena on 30 Oct. Below is every sign change, station and asta period of the nine grahas.
The grahas on 1 January 2023
Sidereal (Lahiri) sign, and from when to when. Open a graha for its whole year.
- Surya (Sun)In Dhanusince 16 Dec 2022, until 14 Jan 2023
- Chandra (Moon)In Meshasince 31 Dec 2022, until 2 Jan 2023
- Mangala (Mars)RetrogradeIn Vrishabhasince 13 Nov 2022, until 13 Mar 2023
- Budha (Mercury)RetrogradeIn Dhanusince 31 Dec 2022, until 7 Feb 2023
- Guru (Jupiter)In Meenasince 13 Apr 2022, until 22 Apr 2023
- Shukra (Venus)In Makarasince 29 Dec 2022, until 22 Jan 2023
- Shani (Saturn)In Makarasince 12 Jul 2022, until 17 Jan 2023
- RahuIn Meshasince 12 Apr 2022, until 30 Oct 2023
- KetuIn Tulasince 12 Apr 2022, until 30 Oct 2023
Gochar calendar for 2023
Times in IST. 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 2023
2 Jan2:35 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 13 Jan†
13 Jan2:30 am
Mangala turns direct at 13°57′ Vrishabha
13 Jan5:16 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
14 Jan8:43 pm
Surya enters Makara
17 Jan5:47 pm
Shani enters Kumbha
18 Jan6:42 pm
Budha turns direct at 13°58′ Dhanu
22 Jan3:52 pm
Shukra enters Kumbha
31 Jan2:59 am
Shani becomes combust (asta) until 5 Mar†
February 2023
7 Feb7:27 am
Budha enters Makara
13 Feb9:42 am
Surya enters Kumbha
15 Feb8:00 pm
Shukra enters Meena
27 Feb4:46 pm
Budha enters Kumbha
28 Feb8:14 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 31 Mar†
March 2023
5 Mar8:38 pm
Shani rises again (asta ends)†
12 Mar8:25 am
Shukra enters Mesha
13 Mar4:58 am
Mangala enters Mithuna
15 Mar6:32 am
Surya enters Meena
16 Mar10:47 am
Budha enters Meena
28 Mar8:59 am
Guru becomes combust (asta) until 27 Apr†
31 Mar2:54 pm
Budha enters Mesha
31 Mar9:13 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
April 2023
6 Apr10:57 am
Shukra enters Vrishabha
14 Apr2:57 pm
Surya enters Mesha
21 Apr2:04 pm
Budha turns retrograde at 21°26′ Mesha
22 Apr5:08 am
Guru enters Mesha
23 Apr11:59 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 10 May†
27 Apr1:49 am
Guru rises again (asta ends)†
May 2023
2 May1:48 pm
Shukra enters Mithuna
10 May12:52 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
10 May1:46 pm
Mangala enters Karka
15 May8:47 am
Budha turns direct at 11°40′ Mesha
15 May11:43 am
Surya enters Vrishabha
30 May7:36 pm
Shukra enters Karka
June 2023
7 Jun7:48 pm
Budha enters Vrishabha
15 Jun6:14 pm
Surya enters Mithuna
17 Jun10:24 pm
Shani turns retrograde at 13°02′ Kumbha
19 Jun7:25 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 14 Jul†
24 Jun12:42 pm
Budha enters Mithuna
July 2023
1 Jul2:13 am
Mangala enters Simha
7 Jul3:58 am
Shukra enters Simha
8 Jul12:12 pm
Budha enters Karka
14 Jul2:50 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
17 Jul5:04 am
Surya enters Karka
23 Jul7:01 am
Shukra turns retrograde at 4°25′ Simha
25 Jul4:29 am
Budha enters Simha
August 2023
7 Aug11:07 am
Shukra enters Karka (moving backward)
8 Aug1:54 pm
Shukra becomes combust (asta) until 18 Aug†
17 Aug1:29 pm
Surya enters Simha
18 Aug3:49 pm
Mangala enters Kanya
18 Aug7:18 pm
Shukra rises again (asta ends)†
24 Aug1:28 am
Budha turns retrograde at 27°40′ Simha
31 Aug5:19 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 13 Sep†
September 2023
4 Sep6:51 am
Shukra turns direct at 18°01′ Karka
4 Sep7:24 pm
Guru turns retrograde at 21°24′ Mesha
13 Sep5:04 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
16 Sep1:51 am
Budha turns direct at 13°49′ Simha
17 Sep1:28 pm
Surya enters Kanya
24 Sep5:29 pm
Mangala becomes combust (asta) until 16 Jan†
October 2023
1 Oct8:32 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 13 Nov†
1 Oct8:37 pm
Budha enters Kanya
2 Oct12:58 am
Shukra enters Simha
3 Oct5:54 pm
Mangala enters Tula
18 Oct1:27 am
Surya enters Tula
19 Oct1:15 am
Budha enters Tula
30 Oct6:26 pm
Rahu enters Meena (moving backward)
30 Oct6:26 pm
Ketu enters Kanya (moving backward)
November 2023
3 Nov5:11 am
Shukra enters Kanya
4 Nov1:05 pm
Shani turns direct at 6°20′ Kumbha
6 Nov4:23 pm
Budha enters Vrishchika
13 Nov4:32 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
16 Nov10:43 am
Mangala enters Vrishchika
17 Nov1:16 am
Surya enters Vrishchika
27 Nov5:51 am
Budha enters Dhanu
30 Nov1:02 am
Shukra enters Tula
December 2023
13 Dec12:38 pm
Budha turns retrograde at 14°18′ Dhanu
16 Dec3:55 pm
Surya enters Dhanu
17 Dec11:38 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 28 Dec†
25 Dec6:43 am
Shukra enters Vrishchika
28 Dec12:16 am
Mangala enters Dhanu
28 Dec10:52 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
28 Dec10:59 am
Budha enters Vrishchika (moving backward)
31 Dec8:26 am
Guru turns direct at 11°23′ Mesha
† 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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