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.

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 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, minutes, and seconds 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

July 2026 brings the important Karka Sankranti on July 16, when 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. Venus enters Cancer on July 1, joining the building Cancer stellium with Jupiter (already exalted there) and the soon-to-arrive Mercury and Sun. Mercury follows on July 2, entering Cancer with strong forward motion before beginning to slow significantly later in the month.

Mars continues its progress through Leo throughout July, having exited Cancer debilitation in mid-June. Mars in Leo, a friendly sign, operates with recovered functional strength and supports the moving-forward of Mars-related significations that had been stalled during the prior Cancer transit. Jupiter remains in early Cancer with very slow motion, approaching the eventual retrograde station in mid-November 2026. Saturn continues retrograde in Pisces, slowly moving backward through Uttara Bhadrapada nakshatra at approximately 5 arc-minutes per day. The Sade Sati cycle continues for those with Moon in Aquarius, Pisces, and Aries.

Venus completes its month-long stay in Cancer and ingresses Leo on July 26. Venus in Leo, a friendly sign for Venus, supports refined creative expression and visible aesthetic engagement through the remainder of the month. Mercury slows significantly during the final week of July as it approaches its annual retrograde station near 15° Cancer, with the actual retrograde station occurring in early August 2026. Practitioners planning communication-sensitive activities, contract signings, or travel during the last week of July should note Mercury’s near-stationary motion.

Sun Daily Positions: July 2026

Sun moves through Gemini during the first half of July, entering Cancer at the Karka Sankranti 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 as Sun approaches summer solstice.

The Karka Sankranti 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. The Sun in Cancer is in an enemy’s sign (the Moon, Cancer’s lord, is considered a friend of the Sun, but the Sun’s natural fiery temperament operates against Cancer’s watery environment), so solar significations operate with some modification through this transit.

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 Leo throughout July 2026, having exited Cancer debilitation on June 19. Mars’s daily motion in Leo accelerates from approximately 38 arc-minutes per day at the start of the month to approximately 42 arc-minutes per day by month end. Mars in Leo (a friendly sign, ruled by Sun who is a classical friend of Mars) operates with recovered functional strength.

Mercury Daily Positions: July 2026

Mercury enters Cancer on July 2 and moves forward rapidly during the first half of the month, then slows significantly during the final week as it approaches its annual retrograde station near 15° Cancer. The retrograde station occurs in early August 2026. Mercury is direct throughout July 2026.

Mercury’s slowing motion in the final week of July signals the approach of the retrograde station in early August. Practitioners should expect communication, contract, and travel themes to feel sticky or delayed in this transition window. The retrograde station and its subsequent retrograde phase will be covered in the August 2026 ephemeris.

Jupiter Daily Positions: July 2026

Jupiter remains in Cancer (exaltation) throughout July 2026, moving very slowly through the early degrees of the sign. Daily motion is approximately 3 to 5 arc-minutes per day during this period. Jupiter is direct throughout July 2026, with the annual retrograde station occurring in mid-November 2026.

Jupiter’s slow progress through early Cancer 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 enters Cancer on July 1, moves through the sign during the month, then ingresses Leo on July 26. Venus’s daily motion is approximately 1 degree 12 arc-minutes per day during this period. Venus is direct throughout July 2026.

Saturn Daily Positions: July 2026

Saturn continues retrograde in Pisces throughout July 2026, moving backward through Uttara Bhadrapada nakshatra. Saturn’s retrograde motion accelerates from approximately 4 arc-minutes per day at the start of the month to approximately 5 to 6 arc-minutes per day by month end. The retrograde phase continues through October 2026.

Saturn’s retrograde motion through Pisces continues the Sade Sati cycle for those with Moon in Aquarius (third phase), Pisces (peak phase), and Aries (first phase). The retrograde does not interrupt the Sade Sati cycle, but it does shift 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. The nodes continue their retrograde motion at approximately 3 arc-minutes per day. The next nodal axis transition into Capricorn-Cancer occurs in early 2027.

The nodes continue to slow as they approach the eventual axis transition into Capricorn-Cancer in early 2027. For complete context on the upcoming axis change, see the Rahu-Ketu Transit 2026-2028 guide.

Important Sign Ingresses in July 2026

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

The Karka Sankranti 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.

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). 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, 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.

Second, sub-lord notation follows the standard KP New ayanamsa convention. Practitioners using KP Old or alternative ayanamsa systems will see slight differences in sub-lord assignments near boundary positions. The 5 to 6 arc-minute KP Old offset can shift sub-lords for planets within 6 arc-minutes of a sub-boundary. The values shown here use the Lahiri-aligned KP New convention.

Third, retrograde notation is included where applicable. Saturn is retrograde throughout July 2026, having stationed retrograde on June 17. Rahu and Ketu remain retrograde throughout the month, as is their normal mode of motion. Mercury approaches its retrograde station in late July, with the actual station occurring in early August 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 the Karka Sankranti on July 16 (start of Dakshinayana), Venus and Mercury ingressing Cancer on July 1 and 2, the building Cancer stellium during mid-month, Venus moving to Leo on July 26, and Mercury slowing toward its retrograde station in early August. 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.