Panchang in Diffa, Niger Sat 13 Apr 2024

The Sun enters Mesha at 16:34, between sunrise (05:57) and sunset (18:22): Sat 13 Apr. No text giving Mesha Sankranti’s time was found; sankranti is Tithika’s convention.

Mesha Sankranti: every date in Diffa

The Moon gains on the Sun about 12° a day. Each 12° of lead is one tithi: 48°–60° is the 5th, Shukla Panchami. A day takes the tithi in force at its sunrise, 05:57 here. Chaturthi ended at 08:42 Fri, before it. Panchami ends at 07:34, when the lead reaches 60°. The lead passed 0° at the new moon of 8 Apr, so the Moon is waxing: Shukla paksha.

The night of Fri 12 Apr ran from sunset 18:22 Fri to sunrise 05:57, 11 h 35 m. Cut into 15 muhurtas of 46 m, its 14th is Brahma Muhurta, the one before the last.

Daylight here, 05:57 to 18:22, splits into 8 choghadiyas of 1 h 33 m. Their names follow a fixed order that starts from the weekday, and each name is counted good, neutral or bad.

The night here, 18:22 to 05:57 Sun, splits into 8 choghadiyas of 1 h 26 m. Their names follow a fixed order that starts from the weekday, and each name is counted good, neutral or bad.

The fixed stars divide the Moon's path into 27 nakshatras of 13°20′, each in 4 padas of 3°20′. Mrigashira spans 53°20′–66°40′; the Moon entered its pada 2 at 56°40′. It leaves at 20:19, for Ardra.

Add the Sun's and the Moon's places among the stars: 359.6° + 58.7° = 418.3°, one full turn and 58.3°. Past the turn, cut into 27 parts of 13°20′, it gives the yoga: 53°20′–66°40′ is the 5th, Shobhana. It ends at 20:03, then Atiganda.

A karana is half a tithi: 6° of the Moon's lead, so the first half of Panchami is Bava and the second Balava. Bava ended at 20:02 Fri, when the lead reached 54°; Balava runs until 07:34.

A Hindu day runs from one sunrise to the next, not midnight to midnight. This one runs 05:57 to 05:57 Sun, so the hours after midnight still belong to Shaniwara.

An amanta month runs from new moon to new moon and takes its name from the rashi the Sun is in at the new moon that begins it: Meena gives Chaitra. The Sun enters Mesha on 13 Apr, inside the month. The next new moon, 8 May, finds it in Mesha and begins Vaishakha.

A purnimanta month runs from full moon to full moon, so its waning half comes first. It shares its name with the amanta month that its second half falls in: the new moon of 8 Apr, with the Sun in Meena, began Chaitra. This Shukla paksha reads Chaitra in both counts.

A samvat year begins with Chaitra, the month whose new moon finds the Sun in Meena: 8 Apr 2024, 19:20 Mon. Since then the Sun has moved 4.4° round the stars. Vikram Samvat numbers that year 2081; Shaka Samvat numbers it 1946.