Which Planets Are Retrograde Today — Retrograde Planets 2026 List and Effects by Moon Sign

Which planets are retrograde today? Retrograde today (24 September 2026): Saturn (Shani) until 11 December 2026. Rahu and Ketu are always retrograde. Below is the complete retrograde planets 2026 list with every station date - including the Saturn retrograde 2026 dates and Jupiter retrograde 2026 dates - in IST with sidereal signs.

Dates are the stationary points in IST from the Swiss Ephemeris, with sidereal (Lahiri) signs. They refresh automatically every day.

A planet is called vakri, or retrograde, when it appears to move backward through the zodiac for a while. It does not actually reverse. Every planet circles the Sun in one direction, but the Earth is moving too, and when the Earth overtakes an outer planet - or an inner planet overtakes the Earth - the planet seems to drift back against the stars, stop, and then move forward again. The two turning points are called stations: the planet turns vakri at the first and margi (direct) at the second.

The Sun and the Moon are never retrograde. Rahu and Ketu, the lunar nodes, move backward all the time, so Jyotish counts them as permanently vakri. That leaves five planets that turn retrograde from time to time - Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn - and the dates of each are computed on this page.

Because the Earth sees the planet close to opposition during its retrograde, a retrograde Mars, Jupiter or Saturn is at its brightest in the night sky. That is part of why classical texts treat a vakri planet as strong rather than weak: it has high chesta bala, the strength of motion.

Mercury (Budh) turns retrograde three or four times a year, for about three weeks each time. It is the retrograde everyone talks about - "Mercury retrograde" - and it touches communication, contracts, travel, gadgets and trade. Venus (Shukra) turns retrograde about once every eighteen months, for around six weeks, bringing love, marriage and money matters back for review.

Mars (Mangal) is retrograde about once every twenty-six months, for ten to eleven weeks; energy turns inward and property and disputes slow down. Jupiter (Guru) turns vakri once a year for about four months, a time to consolidate growth, study and complete. Saturn (Shani) is retrograde once a year for about four and a half months, when pending duties and karma come back to be finished.

Put together, some planet is retrograde on most days of the year - the Saturn retrograde 2026 dates and Jupiter retrograde 2026 dates alone cover about eight months. That is why the useful question is not "is anything retrograde?" but "which planet, in which sign, and which house of my chart does it fall in?" - which is what the rashi option in the calculator answers.

In transit (gochar), a vakri planet revisits ground it has just covered. The matters of that planet and of the house it is transiting from your Moon sign come back: a delayed decision returns, an old contact reappears, work thought finished needs another pass. The classical advice is to use the period for review, repair and completion, and to start genuinely new things after the planet turns margi.

In a birth chart, a planet that was retrograde when you were born is read differently. It is strong (chesta bala) but works inwardly - its results often come later in life, after effort and reflection, and it can make a person unusually thoughtful about that planet's areas. A natal retrograde Saturn, for example, often marks someone who takes responsibility seriously and matures late but solidly.

Two refinements matter. A planet turning vakri or margi - near its station - is at its most intense, so the days around the dates in the table deserve the most care. And a retrograde planet that re-enters the previous sign gives results of that earlier sign again for a while; the table notes when a retrograde crosses a sign boundary.

To answer which planets are retrograde today - and to build the retrograde planets 2026 list - the calculator works in three steps.

1. Motion traced. The speed of each planet is followed day by day with the Swiss Ephemeris; the exact moment it changes sign from forward to backward (and back) gives the vakri and margi dates, refined to the minute.

2. Signs placed. The sidereal sign at each station is computed with the Lahiri ayanamsa used in Indian astrology, so the signs match your kundli rather than Western sun-sign charts.

3. Your rashi applied. For retrograde planet effects by moon sign, choose your Moon sign and each coming retrograde is placed in the house it transits from your Moon, with what that house covers - the classical way gochar is read.

Mercury rules speech, writing, contracts, travel, trade and electronics, so its retrograde weeks are the ones people feel most in daily life: a delivery goes to the wrong address, a message is misread, a phone gives trouble, a deal needs one more round. None of this is a disaster; it is a reminder to slow down and check.

Good to do: revise and edit, finish pending paperwork, back up your phone and computer, reconnect with old friends and clients, return to an unfinished course or project, re-read agreements before you sign. Better to avoid, if you can: signing a major contract without reading every line, buying expensive gadgets or a vehicle on impulse, launching a new business or website on the day Mercury turns vakri or margi.

If you must sign or buy during the retrograde, it is not forbidden - just build in extra checks: read twice, confirm in writing, keep receipts and warranties. The dates in the table above show exactly when each Mercury retrograde begins and ends this year and next.

Traditional muhurat practice avoids beginning certain things while a related planet is vakri. Many families prefer not to fix a wedding while Venus or Jupiter is retrograde, because Venus rules marriage and Jupiter blesses it. A griha pravesh or property purchase is often timed away from a Mars retrograde, and a major contract or business launch away from a Mercury retrograde.

These are preferences, not absolute bans, and they sit alongside the rest of muhurat - tithi, nakshatra, tara bala, chandra bala and your own dasha. A good date with one planet retrograde can still be better than a poor date with none. If a big event falls during a retrograde, the Shubh Muhurat calculator checks the whole picture for your chart rather than one rule.

Saturn and Jupiter spend about a third of every year retrograde, so avoiding them entirely would leave few dates. The practical rule: be careful on the days close to a station, and match the planet to the event - Venus for marriage, Mars for property, Mercury for contracts.

A planet that was vakri at the moment of your birth stays part of your nature for life. Jyotish treats it as strong but inward - its gifts arrive after reflection and often later in life. Here is how each one is usually read.

To see which planets were retrograde when you were born, open the free Planetary Positions calculator - the retro column marks every vakri planet in your kundli.

This retrograde planets today answers the six questions people search most — vakri grah, mercury retrograde dates, shani vakri kab hai, guru vakri, vakri grah ka prabhav — each with the rule behind it. The retrograde planets today above computes your own result free; the sections below explain what it means, and a retrograde planets today that shows its working is one you can check against any astrologer.

Which Planets Are Retrograde Today — Right Now

Which planets are retrograde today is answered at the top of the result and inside the form: every retrograde planet with the date it turned retrograde, the date it turns direct and how many days remain. Retrograde today (24 September 2026): Saturn (Shani) until 11 December 2026. Rahu and Ketu are always retrograde.

Vakri Grah — the Five Planets That Turn Back

Vakri grah in Jyotish are Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn when they appear to move backward; Rahu and Ketu are always vakri, and the Sun and Moon never are. Saturn (Shani) is retrograde in 2026 once: from 27 July 2026 to 11 December 2026 in Pisces. Jupiter (Guru) is retrograde in 2026 2 times: from 11 November 2025 to 11 March 2026 in Cancer; from 13 December 2026 to 13 April 2027 in Leo.

Retrograde Planets 2026 List — Mercury, Venus and Mars

The retrograde planets 2026 list starts with the fast planets. Mercury (Budh) is retrograde in 2026 3 times: from 26 February 2026 to 21 March 2026 in Aquarius; from 29 June 2026 to 24 July 2026 in Cancer; from 24 October 2026 to 13 November 2026 in Libra. Venus (Shukra) is retrograde in 2026 once: from 3 October 2026 to 14 November 2026 in Libra. Mars (Mangal) does not turn retrograde in 2026. The full table above gives every date with its sign.

Saturn Retrograde 2026 Dates — Pending Work Returns

Saturn retrograde 2026 dates: Saturn (Shani) is retrograde in 2026 once: from 27 July 2026 to 11 December 2026 in Pisces. Saturn stays retrograde for about four and a half months every year, bringing pending duties back to be finished properly.

Jupiter Retrograde 2026 Dates — Growth on Review

Jupiter retrograde 2026 dates: Jupiter (Guru) is retrograde in 2026 2 times: from 11 November 2025 to 11 March 2026 in Cancer; from 13 December 2026 to 13 April 2027 in Leo. Jupiter turns retrograde once a year for about four months - a time to consolidate, study and complete rather than expand.

Retrograde Planet Effects by Moon Sign

Retrograde planet effects by moon sign follow one classical rule: the retrograde planet revisits the matters of the house it transits from your Moon sign. Old decisions return, past contacts reappear and finished work needs another pass. Choose your rashi in the form and the result places every coming retrograde in its house, with what that house covers.

If you came to this retrograde planets today to check a result from another app, compare the degree, not just the sign — two tools using different ayanamsas will disagree by about a sign near boundaries. This retrograde planets today prints Lahiri, the value used, and every intermediate step, so the retrograde planets today result can be verified line by line.