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.
Times in Sydney (Australia/Sydney, AEDT/AEST).
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 15 Jan 2023
- Chandra (Moon)In Meshasince 31 Dec 2022, until 3 Jan 2023
- Mangala (Mars)RetrogradeIn Vrishabhasince 14 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 Sydney (Australia/Sydney, AEDT/AEST). 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 Jan8:05 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 13 Jan†
13 Jan8:00 am
Mangala turns direct at 13°57′ Vrishabha
13 Jan10:46 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
15 Jan2:13 am
Surya enters Makara
17 Jan11:17 pm
Shani enters Kumbha
19 Jan12:12 am
Budha turns direct at 13°58′ Dhanu
22 Jan9:22 pm
Shukra enters Kumbha
31 Jan8:29 am
Shani becomes combust (asta) until 6 Mar†
February 2023
7 Feb12:57 pm
Budha enters Makara
13 Feb3:12 pm
Surya enters Kumbha
16 Feb1:30 am
Shukra enters Meena
27 Feb10:16 pm
Budha enters Kumbha
28 Feb1:44 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 1 Apr†
March 2023
6 Mar2:08 am
Shani rises again (asta ends)†
12 Mar1:55 pm
Shukra enters Mesha
13 Mar10:28 am
Mangala enters Mithuna
15 Mar12:02 pm
Surya enters Meena
16 Mar4:17 pm
Budha enters Meena
28 Mar2:29 pm
Guru becomes combust (asta) until 27 Apr†
31 Mar8:24 pm
Budha enters Mesha
April 2023
1 Apr2:43 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
6 Apr3:27 pm
Shukra enters Vrishabha
14 Apr7:27 pm
Surya enters Mesha
21 Apr6:34 pm
Budha turns retrograde at 21°26′ Mesha
22 Apr9:38 am
Guru enters Mesha
24 Apr4:29 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 10 May†
27 Apr6:19 am
Guru rises again (asta ends)†
May 2023
2 May6:18 pm
Shukra enters Mithuna
10 May5:22 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
10 May6:16 pm
Mangala enters Karka
15 May1:17 pm
Budha turns direct at 11°40′ Mesha
15 May4:13 pm
Surya enters Vrishabha
31 May12:06 am
Shukra enters Karka
June 2023
8 Jun12:18 am
Budha enters Vrishabha
15 Jun10:44 pm
Surya enters Mithuna
18 Jun2:54 am
Shani turns retrograde at 13°02′ Kumbha
19 Jun11:55 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 14 Jul†
24 Jun5:12 pm
Budha enters Mithuna
July 2023
1 Jul6:43 am
Mangala enters Simha
7 Jul8:28 am
Shukra enters Simha
8 Jul4:42 pm
Budha enters Karka
14 Jul7:20 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
17 Jul9:34 am
Surya enters Karka
23 Jul11:31 am
Shukra turns retrograde at 4°25′ Simha
25 Jul8:59 am
Budha enters Simha
August 2023
7 Aug3:37 pm
Shukra enters Karka (moving backward)
8 Aug6:24 pm
Shukra becomes combust (asta) until 18 Aug†
17 Aug5:59 pm
Surya enters Simha
18 Aug8:19 pm
Mangala enters Kanya
18 Aug11:48 pm
Shukra rises again (asta ends)†
24 Aug5:58 am
Budha turns retrograde at 27°40′ Simha
31 Aug9:49 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 13 Sep†
September 2023
4 Sep11:21 am
Shukra turns direct at 18°01′ Karka
4 Sep11:54 pm
Guru turns retrograde at 21°24′ Mesha
13 Sep9:34 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
16 Sep6:21 am
Budha turns direct at 13°49′ Simha
17 Sep5:58 pm
Surya enters Kanya
24 Sep9:59 pm
Mangala becomes combust (asta) until 17 Jan†
October 2023
2 Oct2:02 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 13 Nov†
2 Oct2:07 am
Budha enters Kanya
2 Oct6:28 am
Shukra enters Simha
3 Oct11:24 pm
Mangala enters Tula
18 Oct6:57 am
Surya enters Tula
19 Oct6:45 am
Budha enters Tula
30 Oct11:56 pm
Rahu enters Meena (moving backward)
30 Oct11:56 pm
Ketu enters Kanya (moving backward)
November 2023
3 Nov10:41 am
Shukra enters Kanya
4 Nov6:35 pm
Shani turns direct at 6°20′ Kumbha
6 Nov9:53 pm
Budha enters Vrishchika
13 Nov10:02 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
16 Nov4:13 pm
Mangala enters Vrishchika
17 Nov6:46 am
Surya enters Vrishchika
27 Nov11:21 am
Budha enters Dhanu
30 Nov6:32 am
Shukra enters Tula
December 2023
13 Dec6:08 pm
Budha turns retrograde at 14°18′ Dhanu
16 Dec9:25 pm
Surya enters Dhanu
17 Dec5:08 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 28 Dec†
25 Dec12:13 pm
Shukra enters Vrishchika
28 Dec5:46 am
Mangala enters Dhanu
28 Dec4:22 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
28 Dec4:29 pm
Budha enters Vrishchika (moving backward)
31 Dec1:56 pm
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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