Budha Nakshatra Peyarchi — 2026

Mercury Nakshatra Calendar 2026 — what this timeline shows

This is the complete Mercury Nakshatra calendar for 2026 — every Mercury Nakshatra visit for the year, ordered chronologically, with pada-level entry and exit times. The same calendar is known by several regional names:

• Mercury Nakshatra Calendar 2026 — pan-Indian English name emphasising Nakshatra transitions.
• Budha Nakshatra Peyarchi 2026 (புதன் நக்ஷத்ர பெயர்ச்சி) — Tamil / South Indian name; Peyarchi literally means “transit”.
• Budha Nakshatra Gochar 2026 (बुध नक्षत्र गोचर) — North Indian Hindi name; Gochar means “movement across the sky”.
• Mercury Yearly Nakshatra Transit 2026 — English name used in Western Vedic astrology.

Unlike the Sun (which crosses exactly 27 Nakshatras per year without exception), Mercury goes retrograde about three times a year for ~21 days each and can re-enter previous Nakshatras during that reverse motion. Most years contain 30–36 visits — the same 27 forward visits the Sun makes (~7–14 days each) plus any retrograde re-entries as separate cards.

What each card shows

• Nakshatra name + symbol — the Nakshatra Mercury is currently transiting.
• Ruling planet + presiding deity — e.g. Ashlesha is ruled by Mercury with the Nagas as its deity; Rohini is ruled by the Moon with Brahma as deity.
• Entry / exit times in your local timezone — the exact moments Mercury crossed into and will leave this Nakshatra.
• Duration — typically 7–14 days when direct; retrograde re-entries can be shorter.
• Pada breakdown — each Nakshatra is divided into four ~3.3° padas. Each pada shows its own start and end times.
• ☿ Mercury-owned badge — visible on Ashlesha, Jyeshtha, and Revati.
• ↺ Retrograde badge — visible when the card represents a retrograde re-entry.
• ☼ Combust badge — visible when the visit overlaps with a Mercury combustion window.

The three Mercury-owned Nakshatras

In the classical Vimshottari Dasha order, three Nakshatras have Mercury (Budha) as their ruling planet — called “Mercury-owned Nakshatras” here:

• Ashlesha (आश्लेषा) —
  • 16°40′ to 30°00′ Cancer.
  • Deity: the Nagas (serpents).
  • Associated with cunning, penetrating insight, and hidden knowledge; Mercury in Ashlesha sharpens strategy and persuasion.
  • Also one of the six Gand Mool Nakshatras.
• Jyeshtha (ज्येष्ठा) —
  • 16°40′ to 30°00′ Scorpio.
  • Deity: Indra.
  • Associated with seniority, authority, and hard-won mastery; Mercury in Jyeshtha favours decisive speech and command of detail.
  • Also a Gand Mool Nakshatra.
• Revati (रेवती) —
  • 16°40′ to 30°00′ Pisces.
  • Deity: Pushan (the protector of travellers).
  • Associated with safe journeys, completion, and nurture; the gentlest of Mercury's three.
  • Also a Gand Mool Nakshatra.

All three sit at the closing 16°40′–30° portion of their signs, and all three are Gand Mool Nakshatras — the junction points where a Mercury-ruled and a Ketu-ruled Nakshatra meet. When Mercury transits one of these, classical Muhurta considers Mercury-signified affairs (contracts, negotiations, study, publishing, correspondence) strengthened. This calendar highlights these visits with a Mercury-owned badge, a subtle green card tint, and a dedicated filter chip.

Retrograde re-entries — why the same Nakshatra can appear twice

Mercury goes retrograde about three times a year and can cross a Nakshatra boundary backwards, re-entering the previous Nakshatra for a second visit before turning direct and exiting for good. When this happens inside your year, the timeline returns two separate cards for the same Nakshatra — the initial forward visit and the retrograde re-entry — each with its own entry and exit time. The retrograde re-entry card carries a red Retrograde badge. This mirrors how Vedic almanacs table Peyarchi events.

Combust (Budha Asta) badge — overlap detection

Mercury is combust when within 14° of the Sun while direct, or 12° while retrograde — the classical Surya Siddhanta thresholds. Because Mercury never separates more than ~28° from the Sun, combust windows occur six or seven times a year. Any Nakshatra visit whose window overlaps with a combust window gets a red Combust badge on the card. Classical Muhurta traditionally avoids combust days for contracts, launches, and negotiations.

Mercury Nakshatra vs. Mercury Sign (Rashi) — different granularity

The Mercury Sign (Rashi) calendar — called Budha Rashi Peyarchi (also known as Budha Peyarchi) — tracks Mercury through the 12 signs at ~14–30 days each. This calendar tracks the finer 27-Nakshatra layer, where visits run ~7–14 days. Both use sidereal Lahiri Ayanamsha. Use the Sign calendar for wide dignity windows (exalted in Virgo, debilitated in Pisces); use this Nakshatra calendar for muhurta selection and Nakshatra-based readings.

Common questions this page answers

Between the year navigator, the Mercury-owned filter chip, and the info badges on each card, most Mercury-Nakshatra timing questions are answered directly:

• When is Mercury in Ashlesha in 2026? — click the Mercury-owned filter, then look at the Ashlesha card(s).
• When is Mercury in Jyeshtha in 2026? — Mercury-owned filter, second card.
• When is Mercury in Revati in 2026? — Mercury-owned filter, third card.
• When is Mercury in Rohini / Pushya / Hasta / Revati in 2026? — scroll to the relevant Nakshatra card. Each shows entry, exit, duration, and any Rx/Combust badges.
• When is Mercury retrograde in 2026? — look for any card carrying the red Retrograde badge. Retrograde re-entries are their own cards.
• When is Mercury combust in 2026? — look for any card carrying the red Combust badge.
• Which Mercury Nakshatra was I born under? — find your birth date on this timeline. For an exact sunrise-based reading, use the Date Lookup tool.

How the events are calculated

Every Nakshatra entry, pada boundary, retrograde station, and combust boundary in the 2026 timeline is computed via Swiss Ephemeris DE431 with Lahiri Ayanamsha, resolved to the exact ephemeris instant via binary search. Nakshatra boundaries fall at every 13°20′ of sidereal longitude; pada boundaries at every 3°20′. Retrograde stations are found by tracking when Mercury's sidereal speed reverses sign; combust boundaries by tracking the Sun-Mercury angular distance against the classical 14° direct / 12° retrograde threshold. No analytical formulas or approximations are used.

Related tools

Use the year arrows in the timeline header to page to 2025 or 2027 — or click the year itself to type any past or future year. This Nakshatra-level timeline captures every Mercury-in-Nakshatra window; for other Mercury queries or the sign-level view, use one of these companion tools:

• Live Tracker — Mercury's current sidereal longitude, sign (Rashi), Nakshatra, Pada, sign lord, and current motion state (Direct / Retrograde / Combust). Auto-updates through the day.
• Date Lookup — Mercury's complete readout at local sunrise for any past or future date. Useful for verifying natal Mercury placement or checking historical dates.
• Find Mercury Transit Dates — reverse lookup. Pick a Nakshatra or Rashi and get every Mercury window (entry + exit) in the next 730 days, including retrograde re-entries as separate rows.
• Budha Rashi Peyarchi (Sign Year Timeline) — also called Budha Peyarchi. Every Mercury sign visit for a chosen year as a card, with nested retrograde loops, combust windows, and peak-dignity moments.