Panchang · Gochar · Chandra (Moon)

Chandra gochar in 2018

The Moon changes sign about every two and a quarter days: 161 times in 2018. Every entry is listed below.

Times in Cape Town (Africa/Johannesburg, UTC+2).

Chandra’s signs through 2018

Mithuna1 Jan, 12:54 am
Karka3 Jan, 12:01 am
Simha5 Jan, 12:23 am
Kanya7 Jan, 3:42 am
Tula9 Jan, 10:49 am
Vrishchika11 Jan, 9:17 pm
Dhanu14 Jan, 9:44 am
Makara16 Jan, 10:37 pm
Kumbha19 Jan, 10:47 am
Meena21 Jan, 9:14 pm
Mesha24 Jan, 5:03 am
Vrishabha26 Jan, 9:41 am
Mithuna28 Jan, 11:25 am
Karka30 Jan, 11:29 am
Simha1 Feb, 11:35 am
Kanya3 Feb, 1:35 pm
Tula5 Feb, 6:59 pm
Vrishchika8 Feb, 4:14 am
Dhanu10 Feb, 4:22 pm
Makara13 Feb, 5:18 am
Kumbha15 Feb, 5:09 pm
Meena18 Feb, 2:58 am
Mesha20 Feb, 10:32 am
Vrishabha22 Feb, 3:53 pm
Mithuna24 Feb, 7:13 pm
Karka26 Feb, 9:01 pm
Simha28 Feb, 10:14 pm
Kanya3 Mar, 12:16 am
Tula5 Mar, 4:41 am
Vrishchika7 Mar, 12:37 pm
Dhanu9 Mar, 11:56 pm
Makara12 Mar, 12:49 pm
Kumbha15 Mar, 12:42 am
Meena17 Mar, 10:01 am
Mesha19 Mar, 4:38 pm
Vrishabha21 Mar, 9:18 pm
Mithuna24 Mar, 12:50 am
Karka26 Mar, 3:46 am
Simha28 Mar, 6:30 am
Kanya30 Mar, 9:40 am
Tula1 Apr, 2:19 pm
Vrishchika3 Apr, 9:39 pm
Dhanu6 Apr, 8:12 am
Makara8 Apr, 8:52 pm
Kumbha11 Apr, 9:06 am
Meena13 Apr, 6:33 pm
Mesha16 Apr, 12:34 am
Vrishabha18 Apr, 4:05 am
Mithuna20 Apr, 6:32 am
Karka22 Apr, 9:08 am
Simha24 Apr, 12:28 pm
Kanya26 Apr, 4:47 pm
Tula28 Apr, 10:26 pm
Vrishchika1 May, 6:05 am
Dhanu3 May, 4:21 pm
Makara6 May, 4:49 am
Kumbha8 May, 5:29 pm
Meena11 May, 3:41 am
Mesha13 May, 10:01 am
Vrishabha15 May, 12:58 pm
Mithuna17 May, 2:10 pm
Karka19 May, 3:23 pm
Simha21 May, 5:54 pm
Kanya23 May, 10:20 pm
Tula26 May, 4:44 am
Vrishchika28 May, 1:09 pm
Dhanu30 May, 11:42 pm
Makara2 Jun, 12:07 pm
Kumbha5 Jun, 1:03 am
Meena7 Jun, 12:12 pm
Mesha9 Jun, 7:39 pm
Vrishabha11 Jun, 11:08 pm
Mithuna13 Jun, 11:54 pm
Karka15 Jun, 11:51 pm
Simha18 Jun, 12:49 am
Kanya20 Jun, 4:05 am
Tula22 Jun, 10:13 am
Vrishchika24 Jun, 7:03 pm
Dhanu27 Jun, 6:04 am
Makara29 Jun, 6:37 pm
Kumbha2 Jul, 7:37 am
Meena4 Jul, 7:24 pm
Mesha7 Jul, 4:09 am
Vrishabha9 Jul, 9:01 am
Mithuna11 Jul, 10:31 am
Karka13 Jul, 10:12 am
Simha15 Jul, 9:57 am
Kanya17 Jul, 11:36 am
Tula19 Jul, 4:25 pm
Vrishchika22 Jul, 12:46 am
Dhanu24 Jul, 11:58 am
Makara27 Jul, 12:42 am
Kumbha29 Jul, 1:36 pm
Meena1 Aug, 1:24 am
Mesha3 Aug, 10:54 am
Vrishabha5 Aug, 5:15 pm
Mithuna7 Aug, 8:19 pm
Karka9 Aug, 8:55 pm
Simha11 Aug, 8:34 pm
Kanya13 Aug, 9:09 pm
Tula16 Aug, 12:24 am
Vrishchika18 Aug, 7:29 am
Dhanu20 Aug, 6:10 pm
Makara23 Aug, 6:56 am
Kumbha25 Aug, 7:44 pm
Meena28 Aug, 7:09 am
Mesha30 Aug, 4:31 pm
Vrishabha1 Sep, 11:31 pm
Mithuna4 Sep, 4:02 am
Karka6 Sep, 6:15 am
Simha8 Sep, 6:59 am
Kanya10 Sep, 7:38 am
Tula12 Sep, 10:00 am
Vrishchika14 Sep, 3:44 pm
Dhanu17 Sep, 1:24 am
Makara19 Sep, 1:52 pm
Kumbha22 Sep, 2:40 am
Meena24 Sep, 1:45 pm
Mesha26 Sep, 10:24 pm
Vrishabha29 Sep, 4:56 am
Mithuna1 Oct, 9:48 am
Karka3 Oct, 1:15 pm
Simha5 Oct, 3:32 pm
Kanya7 Oct, 5:21 pm
Tula9 Oct, 7:59 pm
Vrishchika12 Oct, 1:03 am
Dhanu14 Oct, 9:44 am
Makara16 Oct, 9:38 pm
Kumbha19 Oct, 10:31 am
Meena21 Oct, 9:42 pm
Mesha24 Oct, 5:52 am
Vrishabha26 Oct, 11:24 am
Mithuna28 Oct, 3:21 pm
Karka30 Oct, 6:39 pm
Simha1 Nov, 9:46 pm
Kanya4 Nov, 12:56 am
Tula6 Nov, 4:43 am
Vrishchika8 Nov, 10:11 am
Dhanu10 Nov, 6:29 pm
Makara13 Nov, 5:50 am
Kumbha15 Nov, 6:47 pm
Meena18 Nov, 6:33 am
Mesha20 Nov, 3:03 pm
Vrishabha22 Nov, 8:05 pm
Mithuna24 Nov, 10:49 pm
Karka27 Nov, 12:46 am
Simha29 Nov, 3:08 am
Kanya1 Dec, 6:34 am
Tula3 Dec, 11:22 am
Vrishchika5 Dec, 5:52 pm
Dhanu8 Dec, 2:36 am
Makara10 Dec, 1:48 pm
Kumbha13 Dec, 2:41 am
Meena15 Dec, 3:09 pm
Mesha18 Dec, 12:46 am
Vrishabha20 Dec, 6:28 am
Mithuna22 Dec, 8:51 am
Karka24 Dec, 9:29 am
Simha26 Dec, 10:09 am
Kanya28 Dec, 12:17 pm
Tula30 Dec, 4:47 pm

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.