Free Nakshatra Calculator

Understanding your birth Nakshatra

Nakshatra means “that which does not decay” — the twenty-seven (sometimes twenty-eight) lunar mansions that divide the ecliptic in Vedic astronomy. Each nakshatra spans thirteen degrees and twenty minutes. At birth, the Moon’s position fixes your Janma Nakshatra (birth star), which is used across Jyotish for naming syllables, dasha starting points, compatibility, and remedial guidance. Unlike the broad twelve Moon signs (rashis), nakshatras offer finer texture: two people with the same Moon sign may have different nakshatras and therefore different lords, padas, and temperament qualities.

Every nakshatra is divided into four padas (quarters), each linked to a navamsha sign in the D9 chart. Your pada refines personality nuance within the nakshatra’s archetype. The nakshatra lord is the ruling planet of that mansion — for instance, Ashwini is ruled by Ketu, Rohini by the Moon, and Magha by Ketu. Classical texts also assign gana (temperament class: Deva, Manushya, or Rakshasa), yoni (symbolic animal nature for matching), and nadi (Ayurvedic constitution stream: Adi, Madhya, or Antya) to each nakshatra. These attributes appear in Ashtakoot marriage matching and in general character analysis.

Because the Moon travels about half a degree per hour, birth time accuracy strongly affects pada — the same reason an accurate time matters for your Ascendant (Lagna). If your time of birth is approximate, treat the pada as indicative rather than absolute. Place of birth still matters for timezone and local sidereal time conversion — our calculator resolves city coordinates and timezone server-side so you do not need to look up maps manually.

AstroNirnay’s nakshatra calculator returns your birth star, pada, nakshatra lord, gana, yoni, and nadi using the same astro_details ephemeris pipeline trusted for full kundali generation. No login is required. Use this page for quick self-discovery, share the result with family, or verify nakshatra before a naming ceremony. When you want the full birth chart — houses, yogas, transits, and AI-assisted explanations — register free and save your complete kundali on AstroNirnay.