Free Nakshatra (Birth Star) Calculator
Discover your Nakshatra — the lunar mansion the Moon occupied at your birth — along with your pada (quarter) and its ruling planet. The 27 Nakshatras are the backbone of Vedic timing, dasha and compatibility. Enter your birth details below.
What is a Nakshatra?
The zodiac is divided into 27 Nakshatras (lunar mansions), each spanning 13°20′. Your birth Nakshatra is the one the Moon occupied when you were born. Each Nakshatra has a ruling planet and four padas (quarters), which refine your personality, career tendencies and compatibility.
Why your Nakshatra matters
Your Nakshatra determines your Vimshottari Dasha sequence (the planetary periods that time the events of your life), plays a central role in marriage matching (Nakshatra/Guna Milan), and shapes remedies and muhurat. It is one of the most practically used points in Jyotish.
The 27 Nakshatras at a Glance
The 27 Nakshatras begin with Ashwini (ruled by Ketu, associated with speed and initiative) and end with Revati (ruled by Mercury, associated with compassion and completion). Between them lie stars like Rohini (Moon, beauty and abundance), Ardra (Rahu, transformation), Pushya (Saturn, nourishment), Magha (Ketu, authority), Chitra (Mars, creativity), Jyeshtha (Mercury, seniority) and Uttara Bhadrapada (Saturn, depth). Each Nakshatra carries a deity, a symbol and a set of personality traits that add detail the twelve signs alone cannot provide. Because each Nakshatra spans 13°20' and is divided into four padas, the total system gives 108 distinct positions — the same number as the beads in a Japa mala, a correspondence Vedic tradition considers significant.
How Your Nakshatra Determines Your Dasha Sequence
The Vimshottari Dasha system assigns each Nakshatra a starting planet and a fixed period length. Ashwini starts with Ketu (7 years); Bharani with Venus (20 years); Krittika with Sun (6 years); and so on in a repeating sequence across all 27 Nakshatras. Your birth Nakshatra — determined by where the Moon sat in the sky when you were born — anchors the start of your personal Dasha timeline. The fraction of the Nakshatra already elapsed at birth determines how far into the first period you begin. This is why an accurate birth time is essential: even a 30-minute difference can shift the remaining balance of the first Dasha by months, changing when each major planetary period begins and ends throughout your life.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find my Nakshatra?
Enter your date, time and place of birth. The calculator computes the Moon's exact longitude and returns your Nakshatra, its pada, and the ruling planet.
What is a pada?
Each Nakshatra is divided into four quarters called padas (each 3°20′). Your pada adds finer detail to your Nakshatra's meaning and is used in Navamsa and matching.
Do I need my exact birth time?
Yes, ideally. The Moon moves through a Nakshatra in roughly a day, and the pada changes every few hours, so an accurate time gives the most reliable result.
How many Nakshatras are there in Vedic astrology?
There are 27 Nakshatras (some texts include a 28th, Abhijit, used for muhurat). Each spans 13°20' of the zodiac and is divided into four padas, giving 108 total quarters aligned with the 108-bead mala.
What is Nakshatra matching in marriage?
Nakshatra matching (Ashtakoota Milan) compares the Moon Nakshatras of two people across eight compatibility factors. The result is a score out of 36. A score above 18 is generally considered acceptable, and above 24 is considered very good.
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