Tools
Nakshatra & Moon Sign Finder
Your janma nakshatra, its pada, your chandra rashi and the Vimshottari dasha you were born into.
In short
How do I find my Nakshatra?
Your janma nakshatra is the one the Moon occupied at your birth — one of 27 divisions of 13°20′ each. Enter your date, time and place of birth and this calculator computes the Moon's sidereal position, then reports the nakshatra, its pada, your chandra rashi and the Vimshottari mahadasha you were born into.
This calculator runs entirely in your browser. Your birth details are never sent to us, stored, or logged anywhere.
Your janma nakshatra, its pada, your chandra rashi and the Vimshottari dasha you were born into.
Why the nakshatra matters more than the rashi
A rashi spans 30 degrees; a nakshatra spans 13°20′. The nakshatra locates the Moon more than twice as precisely, and each divides further into four padas of 3°20′ — 108 padas in the full circle.
More importantly, the lord of your birth nakshatra determines which Vimshottari mahadasha you were born into and how much of it remained. Every subsequent period follows from that one fact, which is why a practitioner asks for the nakshatra before the rashi when they want to time something.
What you need
Date, time and place of birth. The Moon moves about half a degree an hour, so it crosses a nakshatra boundary roughly once a day — an accurate time matters more here than for the rashi, particularly if you were born near a boundary.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Nakshatra?
One of 27 divisions of the zodiac, each 13°20′ wide — traditionally the distance the Moon travels in about a day. Each has a ruling graha and divides into four padas.
How do I find my birth nakshatra?
Enter your date, time and place of birth. The calculator computes the Moon's sidereal longitude and reports which nakshatra and pada it fell in.
What is a pada?
A quarter of a nakshatra, 3°20′ wide. There are 108 padas in the zodiac, and the pada refines a placement beyond the nakshatra alone.
Why does my nakshatra set my dasha?
Vimshottari dasha assigns each nakshatra a ruling graha in a fixed nine-fold cycle. That lord is the mahadasha you are born into, and how far the Moon had travelled through the nakshatra sets how much of it remained.