Panchang · Gochar
Gochar 2023: when each graha changes sign
In 2023, Shani moves into Kumbha on 18 Jan; Guru moves into Mesha on 22 Apr; Rahu moves into Meena on 31 Oct. Below is every sign change, station and asta period of the nine grahas.
Times in Wellington (Pacific/Auckland, NZDT/NZST).
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 18 Jan 2023
- RahuIn Meshasince 12 Apr 2022, until 31 Oct 2023
- KetuIn Tulasince 12 Apr 2022, until 31 Oct 2023
Gochar calendar for 2023
Times in Wellington (Pacific/Auckland, NZDT/NZST). 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 Jan10:05 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 13 Jan†
13 Jan10:00 am
Mangala turns direct at 13°57′ Vrishabha
13 Jan12:46 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
15 Jan4:13 am
Surya enters Makara
18 Jan1:17 am
Shani enters Kumbha
19 Jan2:12 am
Budha turns direct at 13°58′ Dhanu
22 Jan11:22 pm
Shukra enters Kumbha
31 Jan10:29 am
Shani becomes combust (asta) until 6 Mar†
February 2023
7 Feb2:57 pm
Budha enters Makara
13 Feb5:12 pm
Surya enters Kumbha
16 Feb3:30 am
Shukra enters Meena
28 Feb12:16 am
Budha enters Kumbha
28 Feb3:44 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 1 Apr†
March 2023
6 Mar4:08 am
Shani rises again (asta ends)†
12 Mar3:55 pm
Shukra enters Mesha
13 Mar12:28 pm
Mangala enters Mithuna
15 Mar2:02 pm
Surya enters Meena
16 Mar6:17 pm
Budha enters Meena
28 Mar4:29 pm
Guru becomes combust (asta) until 27 Apr†
31 Mar10:24 pm
Budha enters Mesha
April 2023
1 Apr4:43 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
6 Apr5:27 pm
Shukra enters Vrishabha
14 Apr9:27 pm
Surya enters Mesha
21 Apr8:34 pm
Budha turns retrograde at 21°26′ Mesha
22 Apr11:38 am
Guru enters Mesha
24 Apr6:29 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 10 May†
27 Apr8:19 am
Guru rises again (asta ends)†
May 2023
2 May8:18 pm
Shukra enters Mithuna
10 May7:22 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
10 May8:16 pm
Mangala enters Karka
15 May3:17 pm
Budha turns direct at 11°40′ Mesha
15 May6:13 pm
Surya enters Vrishabha
31 May2:06 am
Shukra enters Karka
June 2023
8 Jun2:18 am
Budha enters Vrishabha
16 Jun12:44 am
Surya enters Mithuna
18 Jun4:54 am
Shani turns retrograde at 13°02′ Kumbha
19 Jun1:55 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 14 Jul†
24 Jun7:12 pm
Budha enters Mithuna
July 2023
1 Jul8:43 am
Mangala enters Simha
7 Jul10:28 am
Shukra enters Simha
8 Jul6:42 pm
Budha enters Karka
14 Jul9:20 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
17 Jul11:34 am
Surya enters Karka
23 Jul1:31 pm
Shukra turns retrograde at 4°25′ Simha
25 Jul10:59 am
Budha enters Simha
August 2023
7 Aug5:37 pm
Shukra enters Karka (moving backward)
8 Aug8:24 pm
Shukra becomes combust (asta) until 19 Aug†
17 Aug7:59 pm
Surya enters Simha
18 Aug10:19 pm
Mangala enters Kanya
19 Aug1:48 am
Shukra rises again (asta ends)†
24 Aug7:58 am
Budha turns retrograde at 27°40′ Simha
31 Aug11:49 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 13 Sep†
September 2023
4 Sep1:21 pm
Shukra turns direct at 18°01′ Karka
5 Sep1:54 am
Guru turns retrograde at 21°24′ Mesha
13 Sep11:34 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
16 Sep8:21 am
Budha turns direct at 13°49′ Simha
17 Sep7:58 pm
Surya enters Kanya
25 Sep12:59 am
Mangala becomes combust (asta) until 17 Jan†
October 2023
2 Oct4:02 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 14 Nov†
2 Oct4:07 am
Budha enters Kanya
2 Oct8:28 am
Shukra enters Simha
4 Oct1:24 am
Mangala enters Tula
18 Oct8:57 am
Surya enters Tula
19 Oct8:45 am
Budha enters Tula
31 Oct1:56 am
Rahu enters Meena (moving backward)
31 Oct1:56 am
Ketu enters Kanya (moving backward)
November 2023
3 Nov12:41 pm
Shukra enters Kanya
4 Nov8:35 pm
Shani turns direct at 6°20′ Kumbha
6 Nov11:53 pm
Budha enters Vrishchika
14 Nov12:02 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
16 Nov6:13 pm
Mangala enters Vrishchika
17 Nov8:46 am
Surya enters Vrishchika
27 Nov1:21 pm
Budha enters Dhanu
30 Nov8:32 am
Shukra enters Tula
December 2023
13 Dec8:08 pm
Budha turns retrograde at 14°18′ Dhanu
16 Dec11:25 pm
Surya enters Dhanu
17 Dec7:08 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 28 Dec†
25 Dec2:13 pm
Shukra enters Vrishchika
28 Dec7:46 am
Mangala enters Dhanu
28 Dec6:22 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
28 Dec6:29 pm
Budha enters Vrishchika (moving backward)
31 Dec3:56 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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