Planets (grahas)
Saturn (Shani) in Vedic astrology
Updated
Saturn: how the API computes it
POST /v1/planets returns Saturn with its sign, degree, house, nakshatra (birth star) and dignity (how well it is placed in its sign). For John Doe, Saturn is at 26 degrees of Sagittarius, in house 4 and the nakshatra Purva Ashadha. It is retrograde, and its dignity is neutral.
Saturn is exalted anywhere in Libra (CH-02), and its exact high point is 20 degrees of Libra (SB-02). In Aquarius, the first 20 degrees are its mulatrikona, a strong place just below exaltation. The rest of Aquarius and all of Capricorn are its own signs (CH-04).
Saturn aspects (casts its influence on) the 7th house from itself. It also aspects the 3rd and the 10th (AS-03). It is always a natural malefic, a planet tradition treats as harsh (CH-14).
Saturn is combust within 15 degrees of the Sun (CH-07). It spends about two and a half years in each sign. When it turns retrograde near the edge of a sign, it can cross that edge three times.
The API dates every crossing (TR-06). POST /v1/sadesati returns sade sati, Saturn's seven and a half years over the signs around the birth Moon. It returns the two shorter dhaiya periods on their own.
In shadbala, the six-part strength score, Saturn needs 5 rupas to count as strong.
Get it from the API
POST /v1/planets
# John Doe, born Aug 15, 1990, 10:30 AM, New York
curl -X POST "https://apiforastrology.com/api/astrology/v1/planets" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $ASTROLOGY_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"year":1990,"month":8,"day":15,"hour":10,"minute":30,"second":0,"latitude":40.7128,"longitude":-74.006,"timezone":"America/New_York"}'{
"meta": {
"ayanamsa": "lahiri",
"ayanamsa_value": 23.7260727,
"julian_day": 2448119.10483,
"ephemeris": "JPL DE440s",
"node": "true",
"timezone": {
"source": "zone",
"offset_hours": -4,
"zone": "America/New_York",
"abbreviation": "EDT",
"dst": true,
"dst_hours": 1,
"ambiguous_resolved_by_fold": null,
"note": "read from the IANA tz database at this instant, so daylight saving and historical offset changes are included"
}
},
"ascendant": {
"name": "Ascendant",
"longitude": 169.934155,
"sign": "Virgo",
"sign_number": 6,
"degree_in_sign": 19.934155,
"degree_dms": "19 : 56 : 03",
"house": 1,
"nakshatra": "Hast",
"nakshatra_lord": "Moon",
"pada": 3,
"speed": 0,
"retrograde": false,
"combust": false,
"dignity": "n/a",
"vargottama": false,
"pushkara": {
"navamsa": false,
"navamsa_number": 6,
"bhaga": false,
"bhaga_degree": 9,
"bhaga_by_element": false,
"bhaga_degree_by_element": 14,
"sources_agree": true,
"orb_degrees": 1
}
},
"positions": [
{
"name": "Sun",
"longitude": 118.7753409,
"sign": "Cancer",
"sign_number": 4,
"degree_in_sign": 28.7753409,
"degree_dms": "28 : 46 : 31",
"house": 11,
"nakshatra": "Ashlesha",
"nakshatra_lord": "Mercury",
"pada": 4,
"speed": 0.9610665,
"retrograde": false,
"combust": false,
"dignity": "friend",
"vargottama": false,
"pushkara": {
"navamsa": false,
"navamsa_number": 9,
"bhaga": false,
"bhaga_degree": 8,
"bhaga_by_element": false,
"bhaga_degree_by_element": 7,
"sources_agree": true,
"orb_degrees": 1
}
},
{
"name": "Moon",
"longitude": 54.5750352,
"sign": "Taurus",
"sign_number": 2,
"degree_in_sign": 24.5750352,
"degree_dms": "24 : 34 : 30",
"house": 9,
"nakshatra": "Mrigashira",
"nakshatra_lord": "Mars",
"pada": 1,
"speed": 14.258194,
"retrograde": false,
"combust": false,
"dignity": "mulatrikona",
"vargottama": false,
"pushkara": {
"navamsa": false,
"navamsa_number": 8,
"bhaga": false,
"bhaga_degree": 14,
"bhaga_by_element": false,
"bhaga_degree_by_element": 14,
"sources_agree": true,
"orb_degrees": 1
}
},
{
"name": "Mars",
"longitude": 27.7149328,
"sign": "Aries",
"sign_number": 1,
"degree_in_sign": 27.7149328,
"degree_dms": "27 : 42 : 54",
"house": 8,
"nakshatra": "Krittika",
"nakshatra_lord": "Sun",
"pada": 1,
"speed": 0.5753266,
"retrograde": false,
"combust": false,
"dignity": "own sign",
"vargottama": false,
"pushkara": {
"navamsa": true,
"navamsa_number": 9,
"bhaga": false,
"bhaga_degree": 21,
"bhaga_by_element": false,
"bhaga_degree_by_element": 21,
"sources_agree": true,
"orb_degrees": 1
}
}
],
"planetary_war": []
}Where the API returns it
| POST | /v1/planets | Planet positions and the ascendant |
| POST | /v1/ashtakavarga | Ashtakavarga: strength points for each sign |
| POST | /v1/upagrahas | Upagrahas: Gulika, Mandi, the kaala velas and the Dhoomadi points |
| POST | /v1/special-lagnas | Special lagnas, the yogi point, Jaimini lords and dagdha signs |
| POST | /v1/aspects | Planet aspects (graha drishti) |
| POST | /v1/dasha/ashtottari | Ashtottari dasha periods (a 108-year cycle) |
What the API reference says
Each line is quoted from the reference page of the endpoint named above it.
- POST /v1/planets · Planet positions and the ascendant
planetary_warlists any pair of Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn within 1 degree of each other (graha yuddha). - POST /v1/ashtakavarga · Ashtakavarga: strength points for each signThere are eight contributors: the seven planets from the Sun to Saturn, plus the ascendant.
- POST /v1/upagrahas · Upagrahas: Gulika, Mandi, the kaala velas and the Dhoomadi pointsThe Sun's part gives Kaala, the Moon's Paridhi, Mars's Mrityu, Mercury's Ardhaprahara, Jupiter's Yamakantaka, Venus's Kodanda and Saturn's Gulika.
- POST /v1/special-lagnas · Special lagnas, the yogi point, Jaimini lords and dagdha signsSaturn, Rahu and Ketu are never returned: where one of them wins a stage, it is named
nominalandgrahais the 6th planet from it instead, with the other counting convention indisputed.
Feature page: Kundli and birth charts. Who uses it: Astrology apps. The classical rules the API follows are in the rulebook.
How we check the numbers
Every value here starts from planet positions worked out from NASA JPL planet data (DE440). We test them against NASA JPL Horizons, NASA's planet position service. On 25,571 positions from 1850 to 2149, the Sun and planets agree within 0.001 arc seconds. The Moon agrees within 0.011. On 2,000 random birth charts, the rising sign agrees with Swiss Ephemeris within 0.004 arc seconds. An arc second is 1/3,600 of a degree. A practicing astrologer reviews the rules behind these answers. See how we test.
Related terms
Free tools
See it with your own details
Runs on the same API call. Enter your details and see the answer in your browser.
Free kundli
Your Vedic birth chart: the rising sign and all nine planets, with sign, house and nakshatra.
Make my kundli
Astrology API
Get these values from the API
Create a free test key and call any endpoint on this page. Or try a request in the API reference first.
Your first answer
John Doe, New York
- RisingVirgoHast
- SunCancerAshlesha
- MoonTaurusMrigashira
- MarsAriesKrittika
Real API output. A free test key gets the same answer.
01
Test key: 1,000 test calls a month to build with
02
Free plan: 2,000 live calls a month, no card needed
03
Open rules: every rule is published, so you can check any answer