Mercury (Budha) Nakshatra Transit 2026
Mercury rules intellect, speech, commerce and communication. It turns retrograde about three times a year, so its sign changes frequently repeat during a retrograde loop.
Each sign holds two and a quarter nakshatras (13°20' each). A nakshatra transit is the moment a graha moves from one lunar mansion into the next, a finer timing layer than the sign change that is used in muhurta, Panchang and event timing. The Mercury spends about 3 to 4 weeks in each sign. Times below are exact to the minute, calculated with the sidereal Lahiri ayanamsa.
Each sign holds two and a quarter nakshatras (13°20' each). A nakshatra transit is the moment a graha moves from one lunar mansion into the next, a finer timing layer than the sign change that is used in muhurta, Panchang and event timing. The Mercury spends about 3 to 4 weeks in each sign. Times below are exact to the minute, calculated with the sidereal Lahiri ayanamsa.
All times shown in: Asia/Kolkata
| Date | Time | Mercury Nakshatra Transition | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 07-Jan-2026 Wednesday | 12:01 AM | Mula → Purva Ashadha |
|
| 15-Jan-2026 Thursday | 09:19 AM | Purva Ashadha → Uttara Ashadha |
|
| 23-Jan-2026 Friday | 10:24 AM | Uttara Ashadha → Shravana |
|
| 31-Jan-2026 Saturday | 03:24 AM | Shravana → Dhanishta |
|
| 07-Feb-2026 Saturday | 04:29 PM | Dhanishta → Shatabhisha |
|
| 15-Feb-2026 Sunday | 09:33 PM | Shatabhisha → Purva Bhadrapada |
|
| 10-Mar-2026 Tuesday | 07:55 AM | Purva Bhadrapada → Shatabhisha Retrograde |
|
| 01-Apr-2026 Wednesday | 08:12 PM | Shatabhisha → Purva Bhadrapada |
|
| 13-Apr-2026 Monday | 02:22 PM | Purva Bhadrapada → Uttara Bhadrapada |
|
| 22-Apr-2026 Wednesday | 01:37 PM | Uttara Bhadrapada → Revati |
|
| 30-Apr-2026 Thursday | 06:52 AM | Revati → Ashwini |
|
| 07-May-2026 Thursday | 03:59 AM | Ashwini → Bharani |
|
| 13-May-2026 Wednesday | 11:45 AM | Bharani → Krittika |
|
| 19-May-2026 Tuesday | 02:34 PM | Krittika → Rohini |
|
| 25-May-2026 Monday | 11:47 PM | Rohini → Mrigashira |
|
| 02-Jun-2026 Tuesday | 06:11 AM | Mrigashira → Ardra |
|
| 11-Jun-2026 Thursday | 11:26 AM | Ardra → Punarvasu |
|
| 08-Aug-2026 Saturday | 07:20 AM | Punarvasu → Pushya |
|
| 16-Aug-2026 Sunday | 02:17 AM | Pushya → Ashlesha |
|
| 22-Aug-2026 Saturday | 07:31 PM | Ashlesha → Magha |
|
| 29-Aug-2026 Saturday | 12:56 PM | Magha → Purva Phalguni |
|
| 05-Sep-2026 Saturday | 04:29 PM | Purva Phalguni → Uttara Phalguni |
|
| 13-Sep-2026 Sunday | 10:44 AM | Uttara Phalguni → Hasta |
|
| 21-Sep-2026 Monday | 10:42 PM | Hasta → Chitra |
|
| 01-Oct-2026 Thursday | 09:29 AM | Chitra → Swati |
|
| 12-Oct-2026 Monday | 06:42 PM | Swati → Vishakha |
|
| 03-Nov-2026 Tuesday | 05:59 AM | Vishakha → Swati Retrograde |
|
| 25-Nov-2026 Wednesday | 01:41 PM | Swati → Vishakha |
|
| 04-Dec-2026 Friday | 11:16 PM | Vishakha → Anuradha |
|
| 13-Dec-2026 Sunday | 05:18 PM | Anuradha → Jyeshtha |
|
| 22-Dec-2026 Tuesday | 07:39 AM | Jyeshtha → Mula |
|
| 30-Dec-2026 Wednesday | 06:31 PM | Mula → Purva Ashadha |
|
Rows marked Retrograde are crossings made while Mercury is moving backward, so it can appear to re-enter the same nakshatra more than once.
Note: positions are calculated with the Lahiri (Chitrapaksha) ayanamsa using the Swiss Ephemeris. Other Panchang sources use slightly different ayanamsa values, so their times can differ from these by a few minutes for the Sun and Moon, and by more for slower planets such as Jupiter and Saturn.