Year transit calendar
Rahu Transit 2018: Cancer
Rahu remains in Cancer throughout 2018, with no rashi ingress that year. See the calculated sign occupancy, method and adjacent-year calendars.
Rahu stays in Cancer for all of 2018.
It entered Cancer on 8 Sept 2017 and moves into Gemini on 25 Mar 2019.
New Delhi · Ayanamsa (Lahiri) · Rahu/Ketu: true lunar nodes
Rahu's sign in 2018
Rahu remains in Cancer throughout 2018. No ingress means the planet continues in the sign it occupied at the start of the year; it does not mean there is no transit.
Technical details
| Rashi | Period starts | Period ends (exclusive) |
|---|---|---|
| Cancer | Mon, 1 Jan, 2018, 05:30 am | Tue, 1 Jan, 2019, 05:30 am |
These are UTC calendar-year boundaries shown in the display timezone, not ingress dates. Motion and nakshatra can change during this period.
How to read Rahu transits
Rahu and Ketu are the lunar nodes. They move backwards through the zodiac, staying in a sign for about 18 months and taking roughly 18.6 years for a full cycle. They are always exactly opposite each other.
Rahu stands for ambition, foreign ties, technology, sudden change and obsession. Its transit is read for restlessness and unconventional opportunities in the house it occupies.
Because the nodes always move backwards, an ingress shown as 'retrograde' is their normal motion, not a special event. Read Rahu's sign together with Ketu's opposite sign.
These Rahu gochar dates for 2018 use Lahiri ayanamsa and true lunar nodes. For dasha–transit interpretation relative to a birth chart, book a personal reading.
Planet Transit FAQ
How Vedic gochar timings are calculated and how to read this table.
What is planetary transit (gochar) in Vedic astrology?
Gochar is the current movement of the Navagraha through the sidereal zodiac. When a planet crosses into a new rashi, that exact local datetime is the transit (ingress) timing used for timing analysis.
Which ayanamsa do you use?
All positions use the Lahiri (Chitrapaksha) ayanamsa — the same system as our daily Panchang — so Sun and Moon signs stay consistent across tools.
Does my city change planet positions?
Geocentric sidereal longitudes are the same worldwide at a given UTC instant. Your city only converts that instant into local clock time (with DST when applicable).
Are Rahu and Ketu mean or true nodes?
We use true lunar nodes for Rahu and Ketu. Ketu is always opposite Rahu (180° apart).
How accurate are these timings?
Ingress times are computed with modern astronomical models and refined to about one second. Outer planets usually agree with major panchangs within minutes; Moon and nodes can differ slightly between softwares. Use them for planning; verify ritual-critical muhurta separately if needed.