Vedic Planetary Positions July 2026: Complete Sidereal Ephemeris (Lahiri)

This page provides daily sidereal planetary positions for July 2026 using the Lahiri (Chitra Paksha) ayanamsa. Values are calculated for 00:00 IST (18:30 UTC previous day) and represent the position of each planet at the start of each calendar day. Use this reference for chart casting verification, transit analysis, muhurat selection, and sub-lord boundary checks during the month.

Updated July 6, 2026: This page has been recalculated and corrected. An earlier version contained incorrect positions for several planets. All values below are freshly computed from Swiss Ephemeris with the Lahiri ayanamsa. Thank you to the reader who flagged the discrepancy.

This is the July installment in the ongoing monthly Vedic ephemeris series on JagannathHora.com. The format provides daily positions in sidereal degrees, nakshatra placement, and KP sub-lord notation. Use it as a quick reference when you need to check planetary positions without casting a full chart, or for verifying transit timing for a specific event during the month. July 2026 marks the start of Dakshinayana (the Sun’s southward journey) at the Karka Sankranti late on July 16, traditionally a significant transition in the Vedic year.

How to Read This Ephemeris

Each row in the daily tables shows the sidereal position of a planet at 00:00 IST on that date. The position is given in degrees and minutes within the sign, followed by the sign abbreviation. Nakshatra placement is shown alongside, and the KP sub-lord notation is provided for practitioners working with the stellar sub-lord framework.

Sign abbreviations follow standard Vedic convention: Ar (Aries), Ta (Taurus), Ge (Gemini), Cn (Cancer), Le (Leo), Vi (Virgo), Li (Libra), Sc (Scorpio), Sg (Sagittarius), Cp (Capricorn), Aq (Aquarius), Pi (Pisces). Retrograde planets are marked with (R) following the position. Combust planets (within 6° of the Sun, except Moon) are marked with (C). For exact arc-second precision on any moment within a day, recalculate in Jagannatha Hora, since the values shown represent only the start-of-day position.

July 2026 Planetary Overview

Mercury retrograde dominates the first three weeks of July 2026. Mercury stationed retrograde on June 29 at 2° 01′ Cancer and spends early July sliding backward, re-entering Gemini on the morning of July 7. The retrograde deepens through mid-month, with Mercury combust around the Sun-Mercury inferior conjunction near July 13. Mercury finally stations direct in the early hours of July 24 at 22° 05′ Gemini, in Punarvasu nakshatra, and spends the last week of the month crawling forward with post-station slowness. Communication, contracts, travel plans, and documentation carry the usual retrograde caution through July 24, and precision timing work near the two stations requires extra care because Mercury’s sub-lord position barely moves for days at a time.

The Karka Sankranti arrives late on July 16, at approximately 23:39 IST, when the Sun enters sidereal Cancer and Dakshinayana begins. This marks the traditional southward turn of the Sun in the Vedic year, six months of waning solar light during which inner contemplation, charitable acts, and dharmic observances carry greater weight than during the Uttarayana half. The Sun joins exalted Jupiter in Cancer, and the two share the sign for the rest of the month, with the Sun moving through Pushya, Jupiter’s own position, by late July.

Mars transits Taurus throughout July, having entered the sign on June 21. Taurus is a neutral sign for Mars, ruled by Venus, and Mars spends most of the month moving through Rohini nakshatra at a steady 42 arc-minutes per day, entering Mrigashira in the final week. Jupiter continues its exaltation transit through Cancer, moving through Pushya nakshatra all month at approximately 13 arc-minutes per day, having crossed its deep exaltation degree of 5° Cancer in late June. Saturn spends most of July direct but nearly motionless in late Pisces, stationing retrograde on July 27 at 20° 31′ Pisces in Revati nakshatra. The Sade Sati cycle continues for those with Moon in Aquarius, Pisces, and Aries.

Venus completes its Cancer transit in the first days of the month and ingresses Leo on the evening of July 4. Venus in Leo, a friendly sign for Venus, supports refined creative expression and visible aesthetic engagement through the remainder of the month, before Venus moves on to Virgo, its debilitation sign, on August 1.

Sun Daily Positions: July 2026

Sun moves through Gemini during the first half of July, entering Cancer at the Karka Sankranti late on July 16. This transition marks the start of Dakshinayana (southern course of the Sun) in the Vedic calendar. Sun’s daily motion during this period is approximately 57 arc-minutes per day, the slowest of the year following the summer solstice.

The Karka Sankranti late on July 16 begins Dakshinayana, the six-month southward course of the Sun. Traditional observances during Dakshinayana include greater emphasis on dharmic activity, charitable giving, and contemplative practice. Note that at 00:00 IST on July 16 the Sun is still at 29° 04′ Gemini, with the ingress occurring near midnight that night, so charts cast during the day on July 16 still show a Gemini Sun.

Moon Daily Positions: July 2026

Moon moves approximately 13 degrees per day in sidereal terms, completing one full zodiac cycle in roughly 27.3 days. July 2026 contains slightly more than one full lunar cycle. The table below shows Moon’s position at 00:00 IST on each date with the corresponding nakshatra. For exact transit timings within each day, verify in Jagannatha Hora.

Mars Daily Positions: July 2026

Mars moves through Taurus throughout July 2026, having entered the sign near midnight on June 21. Taurus is a neutral sign for Mars, ruled by Venus. Mars begins the month in the final degrees of Krittika, spends most of July in Rohini nakshatra, and crosses into Mrigashira in the last week. Daily motion is a steady 42 arc-minutes per day. Mars enters Gemini on August 2.

Mercury Daily Positions: July 2026

Mercury is retrograde for most of July 2026. It stationed retrograde on June 29 at 2° 01′ Cancer, retrogrades back across the Gemini boundary on the morning of July 7, and continues backward through Punarvasu nakshatra. Mercury is combust around mid-month as it passes between the Earth and Sun, with the inferior conjunction falling near July 13. The direct station occurs in the early hours of July 24 at 22° 05′ Gemini. Mercury remains in Punarvasu nakshatra for the entire month.

The two station windows, June 29 and July 24, deserve special attention in KP work. Near a station Mercury’s daily motion collapses to near zero, so its sub-lord position barely changes for days, and start-of-day values remain valid for longer than usual. Conversely, mid-retrograde around July 10 to 15, Mercury is both retrograde and combust, a combination that classical practice treats with caution for communication, documentation, and travel significations.

Jupiter Daily Positions: July 2026

Jupiter remains in Cancer (exaltation) throughout July 2026, moving through Pushya nakshatra for the entire month at approximately 13 arc-minutes per day. Jupiter crossed its deep exaltation degree of 5° Cancer in late June and continues in full strength. Jupiter is direct throughout July 2026, with the annual retrograde station occurring in mid-December 2026.

Jupiter’s progress through Pushya, a nakshatra strongly associated with nourishment and dharmic growth, continues to support the year-long exaltation transit themes. For ascendant-by-ascendant predictions, see the Jupiter Transit 2026 predictions for all 12 ascendants.

Venus Daily Positions: July 2026

Venus begins July in the final degrees of Cancer and ingresses Leo on the evening of July 4. It then moves through Leo for the remainder of the month, crossing Magha, Purva Phalguni, and into Uttara Phalguni, before entering Virgo (its debilitation sign) on the morning of August 1. Venus’s daily motion is approximately 1 degree 7 arc-minutes per day. Venus is direct throughout July 2026.

Saturn Daily Positions: July 2026

Saturn spends most of July 2026 in direct motion but nearly stationary in late Pisces, in Revati nakshatra. The retrograde station occurs on July 27 at 20° 31′ Pisces. Daily motion through the month is only a few arc-minutes per day, collapsing to near zero around the station. The retrograde phase continues through the direct station on December 11, 2026.

Saturn’s station and subsequent retrograde in Pisces continue the Sade Sati cycle for those with Moon in Aquarius (third phase), Pisces (peak phase), and Aries (first phase). A station period concentrates Saturn’s influence at a single degree for weeks, so natal points near 20° to 21° of the mutable signs receive prolonged pressure through July and August. The retrograde shifts the character of the experience toward inner work and the revisiting of incomplete material from earlier in the transit. See the Sade Sati complete guide for cycle interpretation.

Rahu and Ketu Daily Positions: July 2026

Rahu remains in Aquarius and Ketu in Leo throughout July 2026 (mean node values). The nodes continue their retrograde motion at approximately 3 arc-minutes per day. Rahu moves through Shatabhisha nakshatra and Ketu through Magha. The nodal axis transition into Capricorn-Cancer (mean node) occurs in early December 2026.

Values above use the mean node, the common convention in traditional panchanga work. Practitioners using the true node setting in JHora will see positions roughly 1 to 2 degrees earlier in the zodiac during this period, with the true node oscillating around the mean position. For complete context on the upcoming axis change, see the Rahu-Ketu Transit 2026-2028 guide.

Important Ingresses and Stations in July 2026

The following table summarizes all sidereal sign changes and stations during July 2026. Times are approximate IST. For exact times, verify in Jagannatha Hora.

The Karka Sankranti late on July 16 is among the most significant solar transitions of the Vedic year. It marks the start of Dakshinayana, the six-month southward course of the Sun, traditionally a period emphasising inner contemplation, charitable acts, and dharmic observance. The transition is observed traditionally with regional festivals and ceremonial practice. Because the ingress falls near midnight, panchanga sources may list the Sankranti punya kala on July 16 or July 17 depending on their convention.

Lahiri Ayanamsa for July 2026

The Lahiri (Chitra Paksha) ayanamsa values throughout July 2026 are shown below. Use these values for any manual tropical-to-sidereal conversion during the month. The intra-month change is approximately 4 arc-seconds, small enough to be negligible for most chart work but relevant for arc-second precision in birth time rectification.

For complete monthly ayanamsa precision throughout 2026 and historical reference values from 1900 to 2050, see the Lahiri ayanamsa reference and the historical ayanamsa tables.

Methodology and Verification

All positions in this ephemeris are calculated using the Lahiri (Chitra Paksha) ayanamsa with the Swiss Ephemeris implementation, which is the same engine used by Jagannatha Hora. Values represent positions at 00:00 IST (18:30 UTC the previous day). Rahu and Ketu use the mean node. Three considerations apply when using this ephemeris.

First, intra-day positions are not provided. Moon moves approximately 30 arc-minutes per hour, Mercury and Venus move 2 to 5 arc-minutes per hour when in normal motion, and slower planets move correspondingly less. For exact positions at any specific time within a day, recalculate in Jagannatha Hora using the precise time and location. Note that Mercury’s intra-day motion is unusually small near its June 29 and July 24 stations and unusually meaningful around mid-retrograde.

Second, sub-lord notation in this table is derived directly from the Lahiri positions shown. Practitioners using KP New or other KP ayanamsa variants will see slight differences in sub-lord assignments near boundary positions, since the roughly 5 to 6 arc-minute offset between Lahiri and KP ayanamsas can shift sub-lords for planets within that distance of a sub boundary. For strict KP work, recalculate with your preferred KP ayanamsa in JHora.

Third, retrograde and combust notation is included where applicable. Mercury is retrograde from June 29 until July 24 and combust around mid-month. Saturn is direct until its retrograde station on July 27. Rahu and Ketu remain retrograde throughout the month, as is their normal mode of motion. Sun, Moon, Mars, Venus, and Jupiter are direct throughout July 2026.

Related References

• Vedic Planetary Positions June 2026: Previous month sidereal ephemeris reference
• Current Lahiri Ayanamsa Value 2026: Monthly precision and verification methodology
• Historical Lahiri Ayanamsa Values 1900-2050: Complete reference for chart casting verification
• Vedic Planetary Transit Calendar 2025-2035: All major sign changes and transit dates
• Jupiter Transit 2026 into Cancer: Comprehensive ingress effects and timing
• Saturn Transit Pisces Complete Reference: Sade Sati dates and effects through 2028
• Mercury Retrograde 2026: All three cycle dates and effects
• Checking Transits in JHora: How to verify positions for any specific date and time

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

This July 2026 Vedic ephemeris provides daily sidereal planetary positions for practitioner reference using the Lahiri (Chitra Paksha) ayanamsa. The month’s major events include Mercury’s retrograde running until the direct station on July 24, Venus moving to Leo on July 4, the Karka Sankranti late on July 16 (start of Dakshinayana), Saturn’s retrograde station on July 27 at 20° 31′ Pisces, and Mars’s steady transit through Taurus and Rohini nakshatra. Use this reference to verify chart casting, identify daily transits, plan muhurat selections, and track sub-lord boundary conditions throughout the month. For arc-second precision on any specific date and time, calculate directly in Jagannatha Hora rather than relying on this monthly ephemeris reference. Future monthly ephemeris pages continue this format throughout 2026.