Shukra gochar 2031: sign changes, retrograde and direct dates

Shukra’s signs through 2031

Makara28 Dec, 11:44 pm 2030 → 21 Jan, 11:45 pm 2031· 24 days
Kumbha21 Jan, 11:45 pm 2031 → 15 Feb, 4:10 am 2031· 24 days
Meena15 Feb, 4:10 am 2031 → 11 Mar, 5:07 pm 2031· 25 days
Mesha11 Mar, 5:07 pm 2031 → 5 Apr, 9:42 pm 2031· 25 days
Vrishabha5 Apr, 9:42 pm 2031 → 2 May, 2:45 am 2031· 26 days
Mithuna2 May, 2:45 am 2031 → 30 May, 2:39 pm 2031· 28 days
Karka30 May, 2:39 pm 2031 → 9 Jul, 7:09 pm 2031· 40 days
Simha9 Jul, 7:09 pm 2031 → 31 Jul, 4:06 am 2031· 21 days
Karka(entered moving backward)31 Jul, 4:06 am 2031 → 2 Oct, 12:28 pm 2031· about 2 months
Simha2 Oct, 12:28 pm 2031 → 2 Nov, 8:45 pm 2031· 31 days
Kanya2 Nov, 8:45 pm 2031 → 29 Nov, 12:32 pm 2031· 27 days
Tula29 Nov, 12:32 pm 2031 → 24 Dec, 4:31 pm 2031· 25 days
Vrishchika24 Dec, 4:31 pm 2031 → 18 Jan, 5:48 am 2032· 25 days

Date by date

Times in Manchester (Europe/London, GMT/BST).

January 2031

21 Jan11:45 pm
Shukra enters Kumbha

February 2031

15 Feb4:10 am
Shukra enters Meena

March 2031

11 Mar5:07 pm
Shukra enters Mesha

April 2031

5 Apr9:42 pm
Shukra enters Vrishabha

May 2031

2 May2:45 am
Shukra enters Mithuna
30 May2:39 pm
Shukra enters Karka

July 2031

9 Jul7:09 pm
Shukra enters Simha
20 Jul6:06 pm
Shukra turns retrograde at 2°08′ Simha
31 Jul4:06 am
Shukra enters Karka (moving backward)

August 2031

6 Aug1:11 am
Shukra becomes combust (asta) until 16 Aug^†
16 Aug6:35 am
Shukra rises again (asta ends)^†

September 2031

1 Sep6:58 pm
Shukra turns direct at 15°43′ Karka

October 2031

2 Oct12:28 pm
Shukra enters Simha

November 2031

2 Nov8:45 pm
Shukra enters Kanya
29 Nov12:32 pm
Shukra enters Tula

December 2031

24 Dec4:31 pm
Shukra enters Vrishchika

† 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 2031