Nakshatra Calculator: Find Your Nakshatra by Date of Birth

What Your Nakshatra Result Shows

Enter your birth details above and you get a complete birth star profile in one page. This is everything an astrologer usually reads from your Moon:

How to Find Your Nakshatra by Date of Birth

1. Enter your date of birth in DD-MM-YYYY format.
2. Enter your time of birth in 24-hour format (for example 15:30 for 3:30 pm). If you don't know it, tick the box below the time field.
3. Choose your place of birth from the suggestions. This gives us the exact latitude and longitude.
4. If you were born outside India, open Advanced settings and pick the timezone that applied at your birth.
5. Press Find My Nakshatra. The result opens in a few seconds.

How the Nakshatra is calculated

The zodiac is a 360 degree circle. Vedic astrology divides it into 27 equal Nakshatras of 13°20′ each, starting from 0° Aries in the sidereal zodiac. Your Nakshatra is simply the segment the Moon occupied when you were born:

The hard part is getting the Moon's longitude right. The Moon moves about 13 degrees a day, so a one-hour error in birth time moves it by roughly half a degree. That is why we use your exact time, place and timezone, and apply the Lahiri ayanamsha to convert from the tropical to the sidereal zodiac.

Can You Find Your Nakshatra Without Birth Time?

Often, yes. The Moon takes roughly a day (between about 21 and 27 hours) to cross one Nakshatra. That means on any given date the Moon is usually in one of two Nakshatras: the one it is leaving and the one it is entering.

When you tick "I don't know my birth time", we work out exactly when the Moon changed Nakshatra on your birth date. You see a short list such as "born before 14:25: Mrigashira, born after 14:25: Ardra". If you know even roughly when you were born, for example early morning or late night, that is usually enough. On the few dates when the Moon stays in one Nakshatra all day, the answer is certain. The pada, Lagna and paya always need an exact time.

List of All 27 Nakshatras

Here are the 27 Nakshatras in order, with their span in the sidereal zodiac, ruling planet, deity and gana. The ruling planet also decides your starting Mahadasha.

What Is a Nakshatra Pada (Charan)?

Each Nakshatra is split into four padas (also called charan or padam) of 3°20′. The 108 padas of the zodiac are the basis of the Navamsa (D-9) chart, which astrologers use to judge marriage and inner strength.

• Pada 1 - Dharma: purpose, principles and direction.
• Pada 2 - Artha: wealth, practical success and security.
• Pada 3 - Kama: desire, relationships and enjoyment.
• Pada 4 - Moksha: spirituality, detachment and inner growth.

Every pada also has a traditional starting syllable for names. For example, Ashwini's four padas give Chu, Che, Cho and La. Your result shows the syllable for your own pada, which many families use for the naming ceremony (namakaran).

Gana, Nadi, Yoni and Paya Explained

Gana (temperament)

Every Nakshatra belongs to one of three ganas. Gana matching carries 6 points in Kundli matching.

• Deva (divine): Ashwini, Mrigashira, Punarvasu, Pushya, Hasta, Swati, Anuradha, Shravana, Revati. Gentle, generous and idealistic.
• Manushya (human): Bharani, Rohini, Ardra, Purva Phalguni, Uttara Phalguni, Purva Ashadha, Uttara Ashadha, Purva Bhadrapada, Uttara Bhadrapada. Balanced, practical and family-minded.
• Rakshasa (fierce): Krittika, Ashlesha, Magha, Chitra, Vishakha, Jyeshtha, Mula, Dhanishtha, Shatabhisha. Independent, intense and strong-willed. Rakshasa gana is not "bad"; it describes determination.

Nadi (constitution)

Nadi links the Nakshatra to an Ayurvedic constitution: Adi (Vata), Madhya (Pitta) or Antya (Kapha). It carries the highest weight in Guna Milan (8 out of 36). When both partners share the same Nadi, it is called Nadi Dosha.

Yoni (animal symbol)

Each Nakshatra has an animal symbol, male or female, such as the horse for Ashwini or the elephant for Bharani. There are 14 animals in total. Yoni matching (4 points) compares the instincts and physical compatibility of a couple.

Janma Paya

Paya ("foot") describes the circumstances a child is born into. It is counted from the Moon's house from the Lagna: houses 1, 6 and 11 give Swarna (gold), 2, 5 and 9 give Rajat (silver), 3, 7 and 10 give Tamra (copper), and 4, 8 and 12 give Loha (iron) paya. Because it uses the Lagna, paya needs an exact birth time.

Nakshatra vs Rashi vs Zodiac Sign

This is why your Vedic Rashi often differs from the sign in newspaper horoscopes. A person born on 1 April is an Aries in Western astrology but has the Sun in Pisces in the sidereal zodiac, and their Moon sign can be anything.

How to Find Your Star Birthday

In Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, many families celebrate the Nakshatra birthday (star birthday or janma nakshatra day) instead of, or along with, the calendar birthday. To find it:

1. Find your Janma Nakshatra with the calculator above.
2. Note the solar month of your birth (for example Chithirai in the Tamil calendar or Chingam in the Malayalam calendar).
3. In that month this year, find the day when the Moon is in your Nakshatra at sunrise. Our Daily Panchang shows the Nakshatra for any date and place.

The Moon returns to the same Nakshatra every 27.3 days, so your star comes round about once a month. The star birthday is the occurrence inside your birth month, which is why its date shifts from year to year.

Frequently Asked Questions

Prepared by the Nakshatra Finder team. Calculations use the Lahiri (Chitrapaksha) ayanamsha with topocentric planetary positions. Astrology is a traditional system of guidance, not a substitute for medical, legal or financial advice. Last reviewed: October 2026. Questions or corrections: contact us.