Planets · Vakri and Asta

Retrograde & combustion calendar 2026

When Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn turn retrograde and direct, and when they are combust (too close to the Sun), for the whole year.

New Delhi, Delhi, India 28.6214°, 77.2148° Asia/Kolkata (UTC+05:30) North Indian · Lahiri (calibrated)

Retrograde nowVenus (Shukra), Saturn (Shani)
Combust nowNone

The year at a glance

Mercury (Budh) Venus (Shukra) Mars (Mangal) Jupiter (Guru) Saturn (Shani)
Retrograde and combustion periods in 2026
RetrogradeCombustShaded columns are months, January to December.

Mercury (Budh)

Retrograde (vakri)

Retrograde periods of Mercury (Budh)
Turns retrogradeTurns directDuration

Kumbha (Aquarius) 28°20'12"

Kumbha (Aquarius) 14°15'43"
23 days

Karka (Cancer) 2°01'29"

Mithuna (Gemini) 22°04'59"
24 days

Tula (Libra) 26°44'31"

Tula (Libra) 10°47'43"
20 days

Combust (asta)

Combustion periods of Mercury (Budh)
FromUntilDuration
44 days

Retrograde during this period
13 days
25 days

Retrograde during this period
16 days
31 days

Retrograde during this period
11 days
48 days

Venus (Shukra) Retrograde now

Retrograde (vakri)

Retrograde periods of Venus (Shukra)
Turns retrogradeTurns directDuration

Tula (Libra) 14°14'59"

Kanya (Virgo) 28°37'20"
42 days

Combust (asta)

Combustion periods of Venus (Shukra)
FromUntilDuration
83 days

Retrograde during this period
10 days

Mars (Mangal)

Retrograde (vakri)

No retrograde period this year.

Combust (asta)

Combustion periods of Mars (Mangal)
FromUntilDuration
140 days

Jupiter (Guru)

Retrograde (vakri)

Retrograde periods of Jupiter (Guru)
Turns retrogradeTurns directDuration

Karka (Cancer) 0°55'38"

Mithuna (Gemini) 20°51'28"
119 days

Simha (Leo) 2°47'04"

Karka (Cancer) 22°45'05"
121 days

Combust (asta)

Combustion periods of Jupiter (Guru)
FromUntilDuration
30 days

Saturn (Shani) Retrograde now

Retrograde (vakri)

Retrograde periods of Saturn (Shani)
Turns retrogradeTurns directDuration

Meena (Pisces) 20°30'47"

Meena (Pisces) 13°41'19"
137 days

Combust (asta)

Combustion periods of Saturn (Shani)
FromUntilDuration
35 days

About

A planet looks retrograde (vakri) when, seen from the Earth, it appears to move backwards through the zodiac for a while. It is combust (asta) when it is so close to the Sun that it is lost in its glare. Both states are used in Muhurat and in reading a horoscope.

Retrograde stations are the moments when the planet's daily motion in geocentric longitude changes sign; they are searched day by day and refined to the minute. A period that starts or ends outside the year is shown in full.

Combustion orbs (distance from the Sun in longitude), Surya Siddhanta values as used by Drik-style Panchangs: Moon 12°, Mars 17°, Mercury 14° (12° when retrograde), Jupiter 11°, Venus 10° (8° when retrograde), Saturn 15°. Some texts use other orbs.

Muhurat uses a different rule for Guru (Jupiter) and Shukra (Venus) asta: the rising and setting rule of the official Rashtriya Panchang at its central station (asta while the Sun is less than 8.5° for Jupiter, 6° for Venus, below the horizon both when the planet rises before sunrise and when it sets after sunset). Its dates can therefore differ from the combustion shown here by a few days, for Venus by up to about two weeks.

Times are in Asia/Kolkata. Planet positions do not depend on your city, only the time zone does.

Profile: North Indian · Lahiri (calibrated); ayanamsa: Lahiri (calibrated); Rahu/Ketu: Mean node.

Traditions may vary by region and Panchang convention. Times are shown for the selected place, time zone and calculation profile.