Shukra gochar 2001: sign changes, retrograde and direct dates

Shukra’s signs through 2001

Kumbha29 Dec, 5:59 pm 2000 → 27 Jan, 1:24 pm 2001· 29 days
Meena27 Jan, 1:24 pm 2001 → 31 May, 6:23 am 2001· about 4 months
Mesha31 May, 6:23 am 2001 → 30 Jun, 11:57 am 2001· 30 days
Vrishabha30 Jun, 11:57 am 2001 → 27 Jul, 3:36 pm 2001· 27 days
Mithuna27 Jul, 3:36 pm 2001 → 22 Aug, 12:08 pm 2001· 26 days
Karka22 Aug, 12:08 pm 2001 → 16 Sep, 1:17 pm 2001· 25 days
Simha16 Sep, 1:17 pm 2001 → 11 Oct, 2:00 am 2001· 24 days
Kanya11 Oct, 2:00 am 2001 → 4 Nov, 5:00 am 2001· 24 days
Tula4 Nov, 5:00 am 2001 → 28 Nov, 3:18 am 2001· 24 days
Vrishchika28 Nov, 3:18 am 2001 → 21 Dec, 11:43 pm 2001· 24 days
Dhanu21 Dec, 11:43 pm 2001 → 14 Jan, 7:56 pm 2002· 24 days

Date by date

Times in Auckland (Pacific/Auckland, NZDT/NZST).

January 2001

27 Jan1:24 pm
Shukra enters Meena

March 2001

9 Mar2:05 pm
Shukra turns retrograde at 23°52′ Meena
25 Mar4:32 pm
Shukra becomes combust (asta) until 4 Apr^†

April 2001

4 Apr4:23 pm
Shukra rises again (asta ends)^†
20 Apr4:35 pm
Shukra turns direct at 7°35′ Meena

May 2001

31 May6:23 am
Shukra enters Mesha

June 2001

30 Jun11:57 am
Shukra enters Vrishabha

July 2001

27 Jul3:36 pm
Shukra enters Mithuna

August 2001

22 Aug12:08 pm
Shukra enters Karka

September 2001

16 Sep1:17 pm
Shukra enters Simha

October 2001

11 Oct2:00 am
Shukra enters Kanya

November 2001

4 Nov5:00 am
Shukra enters Tula
28 Nov3:18 am
Shukra enters Vrishchika

December 2001

4 Dec9:32 am
Shukra becomes combust (asta) until 25 Feb^†
21 Dec11:43 pm
Shukra enters Dhanu

† Practice varies. Shukra is counted asta within 10° (8° when retrograde) of the Sun (Surya Siddhanta); some almanacs use another limit or a visibility rule.

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.

Shukra gochar in 2001