What is the Lahiri ayanamsa?
The ayanamsa is the angle between the tropical zodiac and the sidereal zodiac. The Lahiri ayanamsa, also called Chitrapaksha, is the standard used in India. It was about 23.85 degrees in the year 2000 and grows by roughly 50 arc-seconds a year, so it is about 24 degrees today.
Why an ayanamsa is needed
Astronomical software measures planets against the equinox, which gives tropical positions. Vedic astrology wants positions against the stars. The ayanamsa is the number of degrees you subtract from a tropical position to get the sidereal one.
Why there is more than one ayanamsa
Traditions differ about where exactly the sidereal zodiac begins. Lahiri fixes the star Spica (Chitra) near 0 degrees Libra. Other schools use slightly different values: Krishnamurti differs from Lahiri by a few arc-minutes, and Raman by about one and a half degrees. This can move a planet into a neighbouring sign or nakshatra when it sits near a boundary.
What Vedic Astrolab uses
Vedic Astrolab uses the Lahiri ayanamsa, computed as 23.85306 degrees at the year 2000 plus the precession rate of about 50.29 arc-seconds a year. Other software may differ by a small fraction of a degree. The how-it-works page lists the method and the known limits.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Lahiri ayanamsa value today?
About 24.2 degrees in 2026, growing by roughly 0.014 degrees every year.
Is Lahiri the same as Chitrapaksha?
Yes. Chitrapaksha is another name for the Lahiri ayanamsa, because it is fixed by the position of the star Chitra (Spica).
Why do two apps give a different nakshatra?
Usually they use different ayanamsas or different rounding. When the Moon is near a nakshatra boundary a small difference can change the result.
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