Nakshatra calculator: find your birth star
Your nakshatra, or birth star, is the one of 27 lunar mansions the Moon was in at your birth. Each nakshatra spans 13 degrees 20 minutes of the zodiac and has four padas (quarters).
What a nakshatra is
The nakshatras divide the zodiac into 27 equal parts of 13 degrees 20 minutes, starting from Ashwini. Each has four padas of 3 degrees 20 minutes. Your janma nakshatra is the one the Moon occupied when you were born.
How the nakshatra sets your dasha
Each nakshatra is ruled by one of nine planets in a repeating order: Ketu, Venus, Sun, Moon, Mars, Rahu, Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury. The ruler of your birth nakshatra is the planet whose period (mahadasha) was running when you were born, in the Vimshottari dasha system.
Birth time and the Moon
The Moon crosses one nakshatra in about a day, so an exact birth time matters. If you do not know it, the calculator checks the whole birth day and tells you when two nakshatras are possible.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find my nakshatra?
Enter your birth date, time and place above. The calculator finds the Moon's sidereal position and the nakshatra and pada it falls in.
How many nakshatras are there?
There are 27, each 13 degrees 20 minutes wide, and each divided into four padas.
What is a pada?
A pada is a quarter of a nakshatra, 3 degrees 20 minutes wide. Four padas of each nakshatra give 108 padas in total.
Can I find my nakshatra without a birth time?
Often yes, when the Moon stayed in one nakshatra all day. If it moved into the next one, the calculator shows both.
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Vedic Astrolab is an AI companion, not a human astrologer. Astrology here is a lens for reflection, not a prediction. Results are calculated from the NASA JPL DE421 ephemeris with the Lahiri ayanamsa; see the how-it-works page for the method and its limits.