14/01/2026
Some were asking why Sankranti is on 15th January this year and not 14th. Found this useful scientific explanation.
Makara Sankranti for the next 69 years will fall on 15th January, not 14th. It is simply a function of precession of equinoxes.
Also, it is important to understand that Ayana is understood from the tropical position of the Sun, not Sidereal. So, Sankranti is no longer co-terminus with Uttarayan. The reason is the same - precession of Earth.
From the next century (every 72 years approximately), Makara Sankranti would be on 16th January!
Remember - During the third battle of Panipat, Sankranti was on the 10th, as the war was happening on that tithi. Also, Swami Vivekananda was born on 12-Jan-1863 and it was Sankranti on that day.
Every year time taken by Sun to enter makara rashi shifts by 20 minutes. So it takes 72 years (24x60/20) to shift by one full day. You can check Sankranti date over the years...it matches.
It's perfect mathematics.
HAPPY SANKARANTI TO ALL
