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)
Twelve planetary hours from sunrise to sunset.
| Hour | Ruling planet |
|---|---|
| 06:28–07:24 | Moon |
| 07:24–08:20 | Saturn |
| 08:20–09:16 | Jupiter |
| 09:16–10:12 | Mars |
| 10:12–11:08 | Sun |
| 11:08–12:05 | Venus |
| 12:05–13:01 | Mercury |
| 13:01–13:57 | Moon |
| 13:57–14:53 | Saturn |
| 14:53–15:49 | Jupiter |
| 15:49–16:45 | Mars |
| 16:45–17:41 | Sun |
Night Hora
Twelve more from sunset to the next sunrise.
| Hour | Ruling planet |
|---|---|
| 17:41–18:45 | Venus |
| 18:45–19:49 | Mercury |
| 19:49–20:53 | Moon |
| 20:53–21:57 | Saturn |
| 21:57–23:01 | Jupiter |
| 23:01–00:05 | Mars |
| 00:05–01:09 | Sun |
| 01:09–02:13 | Venus |
| 02:13–03:17 | Mercury |
| 03:17–04:21 | Moon |
| 04:21–05:25 | Saturn |
| 05:25–06:29 | Jupiter |
What each hora is used for
Traditionally, each planet's hour suits a different kind of work.
- Jupiter — study, ceremony, and anything needing goodwill
- Mercury — paperwork, trade and communication
- Venus — art, purchases and relationships
- Moon — travel and matters of the home
- Sun — dealing with authority
- Mars and Saturn — hard, solitary work rather than new beginnings
A hora is a timing convention, not a forecast.
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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.