Panchang · Gochar
Gochar 2025: when each graha changes sign
In 2025, Shani moves into Meena on 29 Mar; Guru moves into Mithuna on 14 May; Rahu moves into Kumbha on 18 May; Guru moves into Karka on 18 Oct; Guru moves into Mithuna on 5 Dec. Below is every sign change, station and asta period of the nine grahas.
Times in Johannesburg (Africa/Johannesburg, UTC+2).
The grahas on 1 January 2025
Sidereal (Lahiri) sign, and from when to when. Open a graha for its whole year.
- Surya (Sun)In Dhanusince 15 Dec 2024, until 14 Jan 2025
- Chandra (Moon)In Dhanusince 29 Dec 2024, until 1 Jan 2025
- Mangala (Mars)RetrogradeIn Karkasince 20 Oct 2024, until 21 Jan 2025
- Budha (Mercury)In Vrishchikasince 29 Oct 2024, until 4 Jan 2025
- Guru (Jupiter)RetrogradeIn Vrishabhasince 1 May 2024, until 14 May 2025
- Shukra (Venus)In Kumbhasince 28 Dec 2024, until 28 Jan 2025
- Shani (Saturn)In Kumbhasince 17 Jan 2023, until 29 Mar 2025
- RahuIn Meenasince 30 Oct 2023, until 18 May 2025
- KetuIn Kanyasince 30 Oct 2023, until 18 May 2025
Gochar calendar for 2025
Times in Johannesburg (Africa/Johannesburg, UTC+2). 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 2025
4 Jan8:31 am
Budha enters Dhanu
14 Jan5:19 am
Surya enters Makara
18 Jan3:33 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 26 Feb†
21 Jan6:50 am
Mangala enters Mithuna (moving backward)
24 Jan2:06 pm
Budha enters Makara
28 Jan3:25 am
Shukra enters Meena
February 2025
4 Feb11:56 am
Guru turns direct at 17°04′ Vrishabha
11 Feb9:21 am
Budha enters Kumbha
12 Feb6:19 pm
Surya enters Kumbha
23 Feb11:21 am
Shani becomes combust (asta) until 29 Mar†
24 Feb4:04 am
Mangala turns direct at 22°49′ Mithuna
26 Feb5:22 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
27 Feb8:08 pm
Budha enters Meena
March 2025
2 Mar2:34 am
Shukra turns retrograde at 16°38′ Meena
14 Mar3:14 pm
Surya enters Meena
15 Mar8:45 am
Budha turns retrograde at 15°23′ Meena
17 Mar3:59 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 31 Mar†
18 Mar3:45 am
Shukra becomes combust (asta) until 28 Mar†
28 Mar3:03 am
Shukra rises again (asta ends)†
29 Mar5:25 pm
Shani enters Meena
29 Mar5:59 pm
Shani rises again (asta ends)†
31 Mar2:24 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
April 2025
2 Apr9:41 pm
Mangala enters Karka
7 Apr1:08 pm
Budha turns direct at 2°37′ Meena
13 Apr3:03 am
Shukra turns direct at 0°25′ Meena
13 Apr11:45 pm
Surya enters Mesha
May 2025
7 May12:34 am
Budha enters Mesha
14 May6:38 pm
Guru enters Mithuna
14 May8:35 pm
Surya enters Vrishabha
17 May8:52 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 11 Jun†
18 May5:54 pm
Rahu enters Kumbha (moving backward)
18 May5:54 pm
Ketu enters Simha (moving backward)
23 May9:29 am
Budha enters Vrishabha
31 May7:57 am
Shukra enters Mesha
June 2025
6 Jun5:53 am
Budha enters Mithuna
6 Jun10:30 pm
Mangala enters Simha
9 Jun2:12 pm
Guru becomes combust (asta) until 9 Jul†
11 Jun8:31 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
15 Jun3:07 am
Surya enters Mithuna
22 Jun5:54 pm
Budha enters Karka
29 Jun10:33 am
Shukra enters Vrishabha
July 2025
9 Jul8:48 pm
Guru rises again (asta ends)†
13 Jul5:34 am
Shani turns retrograde at 7°43′ Meena
16 Jul1:54 pm
Surya enters Karka
18 Jul6:44 am
Budha turns retrograde at 21°22′ Karka
24 Jul4:16 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 8 Aug†
26 Jul5:20 am
Shukra enters Mithuna
28 Jul4:17 pm
Mangala enters Kanya
August 2025
8 Aug11:16 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
11 Aug9:30 am
Budha turns direct at 10°02′ Karka
16 Aug10:15 pm
Surya enters Simha
20 Aug9:43 pm
Shukra enters Karka
29 Aug12:20 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 2 Oct†
30 Aug1:11 pm
Budha enters Simha
September 2025
13 Sep5:42 pm
Mangala enters Tula
14 Sep8:41 pm
Shukra enters Simha
15 Sep7:33 am
Budha enters Kanya
16 Sep10:10 pm
Surya enters Kanya
October 2025
2 Oct2:06 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
3 Oct12:09 am
Budha enters Tula
9 Oct7:13 am
Shukra enters Kanya
17 Oct10:09 am
Surya enters Tula
18 Oct2:46 pm
Guru enters Karka
24 Oct8:57 am
Budha enters Vrishchika
27 Oct12:03 pm
Mangala enters Vrishchika
November 2025
2 Nov9:40 am
Shukra enters Tula
6 Nov8:21 pm
Mangala becomes combust (asta) until 26 Mar†
9 Nov9:01 pm
Budha turns retrograde at 12°39′ Vrishchika
11 Nov6:24 pm
Guru turns retrograde at 0°56′ Karka
14 Nov11:35 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 26 Nov†
16 Nov10:00 am
Surya enters Vrishchika
23 Nov4:43 pm
Budha enters Tula (moving backward)
26 Nov2:35 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
26 Nov7:46 am
Shukra enters Vrishchika
26 Nov8:21 am
Shukra becomes combust (asta) until 17 Feb†
28 Nov6:22 am
Shani turns direct at 0°56′ Meena
29 Nov7:38 pm
Budha turns direct at 26°29′ Tula
December 2025
5 Dec3:31 pm
Guru enters Mithuna (moving backward)
6 Dec5:07 pm
Budha enters Vrishchika
7 Dec4:37 pm
Mangala enters Dhanu
16 Dec12:42 am
Surya enters Dhanu
20 Dec4:09 am
Shukra enters Dhanu
27 Dec8:45 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 10 Feb†
29 Dec3:48 am
Budha enters Dhanu
† 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.
More from the Panchang
- TodayToday’s five limbs, good and avoided times, and choghadiya.
- Month calendarEvery tithi, nakshatra and festival of the month.
- Festivals and vratsThe year’s festivals, vrats, Ekadashis and full moons.
- Muhurta finderGood times for everyday undertakings, with the reasons.
- ChoghadiyaThe eight parts of day and night, and which one is running.
- Rahu KaalToday’s Rahu Kaal, Gulika and Yamaganda.
- PanchakPanchak in the coming months, and what the texts say about it.
- BhadraWhen Bhadra (Vishti karana) runs, and where it is said to reside.
- SankrantiThe twelve sankrantis of the year, with times and punya kaal.
- EclipsesThe year’s solar and lunar eclipses, contact times and sutak.
- Date converterThe Hindu date for any Gregorian date.
- Birthday tithiYour janma tithi and its dates in the coming years.
- Name syllablesName syllables for each nakshatra pada, from the avakahada chakra.