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Nakshatra Calculator
Find your janma nakshatra — the star the Moon was in when you were born — from your birth date, time and timezone. This free nakshatra calculator also shows your pada, your Moon sign (rashi) and the nakshatra's ruling planet, worked out with the Lahiri ayanamsa used by Indian panchangs.
| Nakshatra | — |
| Pada (quarter) | — |
| Rashi (Moon sign) | — |
| Ruling planet | — |
| Moon sidereal longitude | — |
Your janma nakshatra is the star the Moon was in when you were born. Birth time matters — the Moon crosses one nakshatra in about a day.
How to use this calculator
- Enter the date you were born.
- Enter your birth time as exactly as you know it — even a one-hour difference can change the pada, and near a boundary it can change the nakshatra itself.
- Select the timezone of the place where you were born. IST is selected by default.
- Press Find my nakshatra.
- Read your nakshatra, its pada, your Moon sign (rashi) and the ruling planet in the result box.
How the nakshatra is calculated
In Vedic astrology the zodiac is divided twice: into 12 rashis of 30 degrees each, and into 27 nakshatras of 13 degrees 20 minutes each. Your janma nakshatra is simply the nakshatra occupied by the Moon at the moment of your birth. Because the Moon moves about 13 degrees in a day, it spends roughly one day in each nakshatra, and about six to seven hours in each pada, the quarter of a nakshatra.
The calculator first works out the Moon's position against the tropical zodiac using standard astronomical formulas, then subtracts the ayanamsa — the gap between the tropical and sidereal zodiacs — using the Lahiri value, which grows slowly from about 23.85 degrees in the year 2000. What remains is the Moon's sidereal longitude, and dividing that by 13°20′ tells us which nakshatra it falls in:
Every nakshatra also has a ruling planet from the Vimshottari dasha sequence — Ketu, Venus, Sun, Moon, Mars, Rahu, Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury — repeating three times across the 27 stars. A note on accuracy: this tool uses a compact, standard set of astronomical formulas. The Moon's position is accurate to within about half a degree, so if the Moon sits very close to a boundary, exact ephemeris software or a printed panchang may place the result in the neighbouring nakshatra or rashi. For important religious or personal decisions, cross-check with a detailed panchang.
| No. | Nakshatra | Span (sidereal) | Ruling planet |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ashwini | Mesha 0°00′ – Mesha 13°20′ | Ketu |
| 2 | Bharani | Mesha 13°20′ – Mesha 26°40′ | Venus |
| 3 | Krittika | Mesha 26°40′ – Vrishabha 10°00′ | Sun |
| 4 | Rohini | Vrishabha 10°00′ – Vrishabha 23°20′ | Moon |
| 5 | Mrigashira | Vrishabha 23°20′ – Mithuna 6°40′ | Mars |
| 6 | Ardra | Mithuna 6°40′ – Mithuna 20°00′ | Rahu |
| 7 | Punarvasu | Mithuna 20°00′ – Karka 3°20′ | Jupiter |
| 8 | Pushya | Karka 3°20′ – Karka 16°40′ | Saturn |
| 9 | Ashlesha | Karka 16°40′ – Simha 0°00′ | Mercury |
| 10 | Magha | Simha 0°00′ – Simha 13°20′ | Ketu |
| 11 | Purva Phalguni | Simha 13°20′ – Simha 26°40′ | Venus |
| 12 | Uttara Phalguni | Simha 26°40′ – Kanya 10°00′ | Sun |
| 13 | Hasta | Kanya 10°00′ – Kanya 23°20′ | Moon |
| 14 | Chitra | Kanya 23°20′ – Tula 6°40′ | Mars |
| 15 | Swati | Tula 6°40′ – Tula 20°00′ | Rahu |
| 16 | Vishakha | Tula 20°00′ – Vrischika 3°20′ | Jupiter |
| 17 | Anuradha | Vrischika 3°20′ – Vrischika 16°40′ | Saturn |
| 18 | Jyeshtha | Vrischika 16°40′ – Dhanu 0°00′ | Mercury |
| 19 | Mula | Dhanu 0°00′ – Dhanu 13°20′ | Ketu |
| 20 | Purva Ashadha | Dhanu 13°20′ – Dhanu 26°40′ | Venus |
| 21 | Uttara Ashadha | Dhanu 26°40′ – Makara 10°00′ | Sun |
| 22 | Shravana | Makara 10°00′ – Makara 23°20′ | Moon |
| 23 | Dhanishta | Makara 23°20′ – Kumbha 6°40′ | Mars |
| 24 | Shatabhisha | Kumbha 6°40′ – Kumbha 20°00′ | Rahu |
| 25 | Purva Bhadrapada | Kumbha 20°00′ – Meena 3°20′ | Jupiter |
| 26 | Uttara Bhadrapada | Meena 3°20′ – Meena 16°40′ | Saturn |
| 27 | Revati | Meena 16°40′ – Mesha 0°00′ | Mercury |
Worked example
Take a birth on 26 January 1995 at 14:20 IST — the values the calculator is already filled with.
Step 1: the Moon's tropical longitude for that moment is about 244.44 degrees.
Step 2: the Lahiri ayanamsa for 1995 is about 23.78 degrees, so the sidereal Moon is 244.44 − 23.78 = 220.66 degrees.
Step 3: divide by 13°20′ — 220.66 ÷ 13.333 = 16.55, so the Moon is in the 17th nakshatra, Anuradha, which spans 213°20′ to 226°40′.
Step 4: the Moon is 220.66 − 213.33 = 7.33 degrees inside Anuradha; 7.33 ÷ 3.333 = 2.2, so it is in pada 3.
Step 5: 220.66 degrees falls in the rashi Vrischika (Scorpio), and Anuradha's ruling planet is Saturn.
The tool shows exactly this: Anuradha, pada 3, rashi Vrischika, ruled by Saturn.
FAQ
What is a janma nakshatra?
Your janma nakshatra is the nakshatra — one of the 27 lunar mansions of Vedic astrology — in which the Moon was placed at the moment of your birth. It is worked out from your birth date, time and place, and it is used in muhurta selection, name syllables for babies, dasha calculations and kundli matching.
How accurate is this nakshatra calculator?
The Moon's sidereal position here is accurate to roughly half a degree, which is enough to place the nakshatra correctly in almost every case. Only when the Moon lies within about half a degree of a nakshatra boundary — roughly one birth in twenty-seven for each boundary — could precise ephemeris software give a different answer. The pada, being a quarter of a nakshatra, needs a reasonably accurate birth time.
Why does my birth time matter so much?
The Moon moves about 13 degrees a day, crossing one pada in roughly six to seven hours. An error of a few hours in the recorded birth time can therefore change the pada, and if the birth happened near a nakshatra boundary it can change the nakshatra too. If you only know an approximate time, try the earliest and latest likely times and see whether the result stays the same.
What is a pada?
A pada is one quarter of a nakshatra — 3 degrees 20 minutes of the zodiac. Every nakshatra has four padas, and each pada falls in a different navamsha sign. Padas are used to choose the traditional first syllable of a baby's name and for finer chart work such as the navamsha (D9) chart.
What is the difference between a nakshatra and a rashi?
A rashi is one of the 12 signs of 30 degrees each; a nakshatra is one of the 27 star divisions of 13 degrees 20 minutes each. Every nakshatra spans parts of one or two rashis — for example Anuradha lies completely inside Vrischika, while Krittika starts in Mesha and ends in Vrishabha. Your rashi here is the sign containing the Moon, and your nakshatra is the finer division inside it.
Which ayanamsa does this calculator use?
It uses the Lahiri ayanamsa, also called Chitrapaksha, which is the standard adopted by the Government of India's calendar reform and used by most Indian panchangs. A small number of astrologers use other values such as Raman or KP, which differ by a degree or less and can occasionally shift a borderline result.