Nakshatras
The 27 nakshatras are the lunar mansions of Indian astrology. The zodiac circle is divided into 27 segments of 13°20′ each, and the Moon passes through one in about a day. Your nakshatra is the one the Moon was in at the moment of your birth.
If the time is unknown, tick the box: the Moon will be calculated for noon. Latitude, longitude and UTC offset are needed only if your city is not on the list; north latitude and east longitude are positive.
How to Find Your Nakshatra
You need the date, exact time and place of birth: the Moon changes nakshatra roughly every 24 hours, but the boundary can fall at any hour of the day. The calculator above finds it from the Moon in the sidereal zodiac with the Lahiri ayanamsa and warns you if the answer is ambiguous without a birth time.
Important: the calculation uses the sidereal zodiac with the ayanamsa applied, so your Western "Moon sign" won't work here; you need a proper Jyotish calculation.
Table of Nakshatras
| № | Nakshatra | Degrees | Ruling Planet |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ashwini | 0°–13°20′ Aries | Ketu |
| 2 | Bharani | 13°20′–26°40′ Aries | Venus |
| 3 | Krittika | 26°40′ Aries–10° Taurus | Sun |
| 4 | Rohini | 10°–23°20′ Taurus | Moon |
| 5 | Mrigashira | 23°20′ Taurus–6°40′ Gemini | Mars |
| 6 | Ardra | 6°40′–20° Gemini | Rahu |
| 7 | Punarvasu | 20° Gemini–3°20′ Cancer | Jupiter |
| 8 | Pushya | 3°20′–16°40′ Cancer | Saturn |
| 9 | Ashlesha | 16°40′–30° Cancer | Mercury |
| 10 | Magha | 0°–13°20′ Leo | Ketu |
| 11 | Purva Phalguni | 13°20′–26°40′ Leo | Venus |
| 12 | Uttara Phalguni | 26°40′ Leo–10° Virgo | Sun |
| 13 | Hasta | 10°–23°20′ Virgo | Moon |
| 14 | Chitra | 23°20′ Virgo–6°40′ Libra | Mars |
| 15 | Swati | 6°40′–20° Libra | Rahu |
| 16 | Vishakha | 20° Libra–3°20′ Scorpio | Jupiter |
| 17 | Anuradha | 3°20′–16°40′ Scorpio | Saturn |
| 18 | Jyeshtha | 16°40′–30° Scorpio | Mercury |
| 19 | Mula | 0°–13°20′ Sagittarius | Ketu |
| 20 | Purva Ashadha | 13°20′–26°40′ Sagittarius | Venus |
| 21 | Uttara Ashadha | 26°40′ Sagittarius–10° Capricorn | Sun |
| 22 | Shravana | 10°–23°20′ Capricorn | Moon |
| 23 | Dhanishta | 23°20′ Capricorn–6°40′ Aquarius | Mars |
| 24 | Shatabhisha | 6°40′–20° Aquarius | Rahu |
| 25 | Purva Bhadrapada | 20° Aquarius–3°20′ Pisces | Jupiter |
| 26 | Uttara Bhadrapada | 3°20′–16°40′ Pisces | Saturn |
| 27 | Revati | 16°40′–30° Pisces | Mercury |
The order of rulers repeats in nine groups of three: Ketu, Venus, Sun, Moon, Mars, Rahu, Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury. The same order sets the sequence of the dashas.
What Nakshatras Are For
There are three main uses.
Precision of description. 27 divisions instead of 12 give a narrower profile: within a single Moon sign, the nakshatras describe different types.
Calculating dashas. The ruler of the Moon's nakshatra at birth determines which planetary period life begins with and at what ages the others take over.
Marriage. In Kundali Milan, most of the compatibility points are calculated from the nakshatras.
Where They Came From
In India the nakshatras are older than the zodiac signs: they are already mentioned in the Rigveda, long before the Babylonian and Greek twelvefold division reached the Indian tradition.
The number 27 is tied to the sidereal month: the Moon circles the zodiac in about 27.3 days, passing through one nakshatra in roughly a day. Some texts use 28 nakshatras, with an extra one, Abhijit, which was later dropped.