Nakshatra
Glossary · Last updated: 2026-07-26
In Jyotish (Indian Vedic astrology), a nakshatra is a lunar mansion. A lunar mansion is one of 27 parts along the Moon's sidereal path. Sidereal means the path is tied to the stars. Your Janma Nakshatra is the mansion the Moon was in at birth.
Nakshatras are smaller than rashis (Moon signs). The Moon moves through a full rashi in about two and a half days. In that time it only covers part of a few nakshatras.
Example: see it on a birth date
A birth date of March 7, 2020, estimated at local noon, puts the Moon in the Ashlesha nakshatra, pada 2.
That mansion sits inside Karka rashi. A nakshatra is smaller than a rashi. A time near a boundary can change it.
Enter your own date on the Zodiac Sign Calculator.
Why nakshatras matter in our app
Today's Horoscope shows nakshatra and pada (quarter) on the Indian Vedic card when birth time and place help locate the Moon. With a date only, we estimate at local noon. That is fine on most days. It is less reliable near a boundary.
- 27 nakshatras, each split into four padas
- Sidereal (star-backed) measurement with Lahiri ayanamsa
- Different from Western sun sign or tropical moon sign
Related
Main reading and tools
These are the main reading and calculator pages. Use them for a daily note, a birth-sign tool, or a pair check.
- Today's Horoscope hubAll twelve Western sun-sign daily pages, plus links to the seven-tradition reader.
- Horoscope & Zodiac CompatibilityTwo birth dates for Western, Chinese, and Indian Vedic pairing, plus every sun-sign hub.
- Zodiac Sign CalculatorWestern sun sign from birth date, with element, modality, and ruler.
- Rising Sign CalculatorIndian Vedic Lagna estimate when you have birth date, time, and place.
- Moon Sign CalculatorIndian Vedic Janma Rashi and nakshatra when birth time and city are available.