Panchang · Gochar
Gochar 2044: when each graha changes sign
In 2044, Guru moves into Makara on 16 Feb; Shani moves into Tula on 23 Jun; Shani moves into Vrishchika on 29 Aug. 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 2044
Sidereal (Lahiri) sign, and from when to when. Open a graha for its whole year.
- Surya (Sun)In Dhanusince 16 Dec 2043, until 15 Jan 2044
- Chandra (Moon)In Dhanusince 30 Dec 2043, until 1 Jan 2044
- Mangala (Mars)In Kanyasince 27 Dec 2043, until 4 Mar 2044
- Budha (Mercury)In Vrishchikasince 19 Dec 2043, until 8 Jan 2044
- Guru (Jupiter)In Dhanusince 11 Sep 2043, until 16 Feb 2044
- Shukra (Venus)In Makarasince 14 Dec 2043, until 7 Jan 2044
- Shani (Saturn)In Vrishchikasince 11 Dec 2043, until 23 Jun 2044
- RahuIn Kumbhasince 24 Dec 2043, until 12 Jul 2045
- KetuIn Simhasince 24 Dec 2043, until 12 Jul 2045
Gochar calendar for 2044
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 2044
7 Jan7:38 pm
Shukra enters Kumbha
8 Jan4:05 am
Budha enters Dhanu
15 Jan12:13 am
Surya enters Makara
19 Jan7:05 pm
Guru rises again (asta ends)†
30 Jan2:28 pm
Budha enters Makara
31 Jan11:06 pm
Mangala turns retrograde at 6°25′ Kanya
February 2044
1 Feb9:17 pm
Shukra enters Meena
3 Feb3:50 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 10 Mar†
13 Feb1:08 pm
Surya enters Kumbha
16 Feb4:55 am
Guru enters Makara
17 Feb11:12 pm
Budha enters Kumbha
28 Feb4:47 am
Shukra enters Mesha
March 2044
4 Mar1:28 am
Mangala enters Simha (moving backward)
5 Mar1:42 am
Budha enters Meena
8 Mar9:53 pm
Shani turns retrograde at 5°46′ Vrishchika
10 Mar11:22 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
14 Mar9:59 am
Surya enters Meena
28 Mar2:30 am
Budha turns retrograde at 28°07′ Meena
28 Mar11:01 pm
Shukra enters Vrishabha
30 Mar9:02 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 14 Apr†
April 2044
13 Apr7:27 pm
Surya enters Mesha
14 Apr1:37 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
20 Apr2:34 pm
Budha turns direct at 16°26′ Meena
22 Apr12:40 am
Mangala turns direct at 17°07′ Simha
May 2044
6 May10:00 am
Shukra turns retrograde at 20°54′ Vrishabha
10 May8:38 am
Budha enters Mesha
14 May4:19 pm
Surya enters Vrishabha
22 May5:32 pm
Shukra becomes combust (asta) until 1 Jun†
24 May2:45 pm
Guru turns retrograde at 12°29′ Makara
29 May6:46 am
Budha enters Vrishabha
29 May7:53 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 22 Jun†
June 2044
1 Jun10:03 pm
Shukra rises again (asta ends)†
12 Jun10:49 am
Budha enters Mithuna
13 Jun12:03 am
Mangala enters Kanya
14 Jun10:55 pm
Surya enters Mithuna
18 Jun7:38 am
Shukra turns direct at 4°23′ Vrishabha
22 Jun5:23 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
23 Jun5:42 am
Shani enters Tula (moving backward)
27 Jun8:45 am
Budha enters Karka
July 2044
16 Jul9:48 am
Surya enters Karka
20 Jul1:48 am
Budha enters Simha
27 Jul9:02 am
Shani turns direct at 29°06′ Tula
31 Jul9:21 am
Budha turns retrograde at 4°53′ Simha
August 2044
1 Aug5:07 pm
Shukra enters Mithuna
7 Aug6:00 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 21 Aug†
8 Aug8:04 pm
Mangala enters Tula
11 Aug8:50 am
Budha enters Karka (moving backward)
16 Aug6:12 pm
Surya enters Simha
21 Aug8:33 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
24 Aug5:12 am
Budha turns direct at 22°34′ Karka
29 Aug11:52 pm
Shani enters Vrishchika
31 Aug6:41 am
Shukra enters Karka
September 2044
3 Sep10:59 pm
Budha enters Simha
10 Sep12:09 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 17 Oct†
16 Sep6:09 pm
Surya enters Kanya
21 Sep2:50 am
Budha enters Kanya
22 Sep4:09 pm
Guru turns direct at 2°38′ Makara
24 Sep12:25 am
Mangala enters Vrishchika
26 Sep8:30 pm
Shukra enters Simha
October 2044
8 Oct6:51 am
Budha enters Tula
17 Oct12:54 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
17 Oct6:08 am
Surya enters Tula
22 Oct2:15 am
Shukra enters Kanya
28 Oct2:45 am
Budha enters Vrishchika
November 2044
4 Nov5:45 pm
Mangala enters Dhanu
7 Nov2:05 pm
Shani becomes combust (asta) until 11 Dec†
15 Nov1:33 pm
Shukra enters Tula
16 Nov4:59 am
Surya enters Vrishchika
21 Nov4:51 pm
Budha turns retrograde at 24°08′ Vrishchika
26 Nov8:50 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 7 Dec†
December 2044
7 Dec8:52 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
9 Dec4:42 pm
Shukra enters Vrishchika
11 Dec4:41 am
Shani rises again (asta ends)†
11 Dec11:31 am
Budha turns direct at 7°52′ Vrishchika
14 Dec1:20 am
Mangala enters Makara
15 Dec7:39 pm
Surya 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.
