What Mars is doing in the sky
Mars usually spends about six weeks in a sign. Around its retrograde, every 26 months or so, it can stay in one sign, or move back and forth across a boundary, for several months.
Planetary events · Mars
Mars retrograde and transit 2026 and 2027: dates and times
Mars (Mangal) signifies energy, courage, drive, land and property, and siblings. Here is every Mars event of 2026 and 2027 in the sidereal zodiac used in Vedic astrology, with exact times in IST.
All times are Indian Standard Time (IST).
Mars retrograde (vakri) periods
Mars turns retrograde for about ten weeks roughly every 26 months, so some years have none. Tradition reads it as a time when energy turns inward: a good stretch to rework a plan, finish what was started and pace physical effort, rather than to force a new start. Like every vakri graha, a retrograde Mars is counted as strong in motion.
The shadow is the stretch of sky the planet covers three times: before turning retrograde it first passes the degree where it will later turn direct, and after turning direct it walks forward again to the degree where it turned retrograde.
Mars retrograde 2026
Mars is not retrograde in 2026. Its next retrograde begins on 10 Jan 2027.
Mars retrograde 2027
Mars retrograde: 10 Jan 2027 to 1 Apr 2027 (Leo to Cancer)
- Enters the retrograde shadow
- Turns retrograde (vakri)
- (at 16°11' Leo)
- Moves back from Leo into Cancer
- Turns direct (margi)
- (at 26°41' Cancer)
- Leaves the shadow
- Retrograde for
- 81 days
Mars sign changes (gochar, rashi parivartan)
Mars transits 2026
On 1 January 2026, Mars is in Sagittarius.
| Date and time (IST) | Enters | Motion | Stays until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capricorn (Makara) | Forward | ||
| Aquarius (Kumbha) | Forward | ||
| Pisces (Meena) | Forward | ||
| Aries (Mesha) | Forward | ||
| Taurus (Vrishabha) | Forward | ||
| Gemini (Mithuna) | Forward | ||
| Cancer (Karka) | Forward | ||
| Leo (Simha) | Forward |
Mars transits 2027
On 1 January 2027, Mars is in Leo.
| Date and time (IST) | Enters | Motion | Stays until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cancer (Karka) | Back, while retrograde | ||
| Leo (Simha) | Forward | ||
| Virgo (Kanya) | Forward | ||
| Libra (Tula) | Forward | ||
| Scorpio (Vrishchika) | Forward | ||
| Sagittarius (Dhanu) | Forward | ||
| Capricorn (Makara) | Forward |
What this may mean for you
Whether a Mars retrograde is felt in your work, your home, your health routines or your relationships with siblings depends on the houses Mars rules and occupies in your own chart, and on your dasha.
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Common questions
When is Mars retrograde in 2026?
Mars is not retrograde in 2026.
When is Mars retrograde in 2027?
Mars is retrograde once during 2027: from 10 Jan 2027, 6:29 PM to 1 Apr 2027, 7:38 PM. Times are IST.
How these dates are worked out
Every date and time here is worked out the way Indian panchangs give planetary events: the Lahiri ayanamsa on the sidereal zodiac, applied to the apparent position of each planet, the place it is seen in the sky. A station (the moment a planet turns vakri or margi) is timed from its apparent motion. Times are Indian Standard Time, rounded to the minute.