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Panchang · Gochar · Shukra (Venus)

Shukra gochar in 2003

Shukra changes sign 15 times in 2003: Vrishchika on 1 Jan, Dhanu on 30 Jan, Makara on 25 Feb, Kumbha on 23 Mar ….

Times in Sydney (Australia/Sydney, AEDT/AEST).

Shukra’s signs through 2003

  1. Tula1 Sep, 7:43 am 2002 → 1 Jan, 4:43 pm 2003· about 4 months
  2. Vrishchika1 Jan, 4:43 pm 2003 → 30 Jan, 1:32 pm 2003· 29 days
  3. Dhanu30 Jan, 1:32 pm 2003 → 25 Feb, 6:52 pm 2003· 26 days
  4. Makara25 Feb, 6:52 pm 2003 → 23 Mar, 2:53 am 2003· 25 days
  5. Kumbha23 Mar, 2:53 am 2003 → 17 Apr, 1:01 am 2003· 25 days
  6. Meena17 Apr, 1:01 am 2003 → 11 May, 8:12 pm 2003· 25 days
  7. Mesha11 May, 8:12 pm 2003 → 5 Jun, 1:13 pm 2003· 25 days
  8. Vrishabha5 Jun, 1:13 pm 2003 → 30 Jun, 3:56 am 2003· 25 days
  9. Mithuna30 Jun, 3:56 am 2003 → 24 Jul, 3:29 pm 2003· 24 days
  10. Karka24 Jul, 3:29 pm 2003 → 17 Aug, 11:21 pm 2003· 24 days
  11. Simha17 Aug, 11:21 pm 2003 → 11 Sep, 4:11 am 2003· 24 days
  12. Kanya11 Sep, 4:11 am 2003 → 5 Oct, 7:20 am 2003· 24 days
  13. Tula5 Oct, 7:20 am 2003 → 29 Oct, 11:07 am 2003· 24 days
  14. Vrishchika29 Oct, 11:07 am 2003 → 22 Nov, 2:22 pm 2003· 24 days
  15. Dhanu22 Nov, 2:22 pm 2003 → 16 Dec, 7:12 pm 2003· 24 days
  16. Makara16 Dec, 7:12 pm 2003 → 10 Jan, 4:24 am 2004· 24 days

Date by date

Times in Sydney (Australia/Sydney, AEDT/AEST).

January 2003

  • 1 Jan4:43 pm

    Shukra enters Vrishchika

  • 30 Jan1:32 pm

    Shukra enters Dhanu

February 2003

  • 25 Feb6:52 pm

    Shukra enters Makara

March 2003

  • 23 Mar2:53 am

    Shukra enters Kumbha

April 2003

  • 17 Apr1:01 am

    Shukra enters Meena

May 2003

  • 11 May8:12 pm

    Shukra enters Mesha

June 2003

  • 5 Jun1:13 pm

    Shukra enters Vrishabha

  • 30 Jun3:56 am

    Shukra enters Mithuna

July 2003

  • 13 Jul6:46 pm

    Shukra becomes combust (asta) until 25 Sep†

  • 24 Jul3:29 pm

    Shukra enters Karka

August 2003

  • 17 Aug11:21 pm

    Shukra enters Simha

September 2003

  • 11 Sep4:11 am

    Shukra enters Kanya

  • 25 Sep2:15 am

    Shukra rises again (asta ends)†

October 2003

  • 5 Oct7:20 am

    Shukra enters Tula

  • 29 Oct11:07 am

    Shukra enters Vrishchika

November 2003

  • 22 Nov2:22 pm

    Shukra enters Dhanu

December 2003

  • 16 Dec7:12 pm

    Shukra enters Makara

† 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.

See also: Shukra (glossary) · Gochar 2003: all grahas · Transits over your chart

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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