What Hora is
A hora is a planetary hour. Daylight is divided into twelve parts and the night into twelve more, and each is ruled by a planet running in the Chaldean order — Sun, Venus, Mercury, Moon, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars — repeating. The first hora after sunrise always belongs to the ruler of that weekday, which is why Monday opens with a Moon hora.
Day Hora (Monday)
From sunrise to sunset: Moon 06:24–07:21, Saturn 07:21–08:18, Jupiter 08:18–09:15, Mars 09:15–10:12, Sun 10:12–11:09, Venus 11:09–12:06, Mercury 12:06–13:02, Moon 13:02–13:59, Saturn 13:59–14:56, Jupiter 14:56–15:53, Mars 15:53–16:50, Sun 16:50–17:47.
Night Hora
From sunset to the next sunrise: Venus 17:47–18:50, Mercury 18:50–19:53, Moon 19:53–20:56, Saturn 20:56–21:59, Jupiter 21:59–23:02, Mars 23:02–00:06, Sun 00:06–01:09, Venus 01:09–02:12, Mercury 02:12–03:15, Moon 03:15–04:18, Saturn 04:18–05:21, Jupiter 05:21–06:24.
What each hora is used for
Traditionally: Jupiter hora for study, ceremony and anything needing goodwill; Mercury for paperwork, trade and communication; Venus for art, purchases and relationships; Moon for travel and matters of the home; Sun for dealing with authority. Mars and Saturn horas are usually left for hard, solitary work rather than new beginnings. A hora is a timing convention, not a forecast.
See it in your own chart
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Frequently asked
- How long is one hora?
- Not a clock hour. Daylight is split into twelve equal parts and night into twelve, so a hora runs longer than sixty minutes in summer daylight and shorter in winter — and day and night horas differ in length on the same date.
- Which hora is running now?
- Match the current time against the day table above (sunrise to sunset) or the night table (sunset onwards). Both are given in local time for New Delhi, India (IST).
- Why does the day start with a different planet each weekday?
- Because the weekday is named for the planet ruling its first hora — Sunday opens with a Sun hora, Monday with the Moon, and so on. The sequence then continues in Chaldean order through all twenty-four.