Ayana

Nakshatra finder

Your birth star (nakshatra) and its quarter (pada), from your birth date, time and place — with its ruler, deity and temperament in plain words.
Date of birth

As exact as you can — from a birth certificate if possible. A few minutes can change the rising sign.

Advanced settings (optional — the defaults suit most people)

Vedic astrology measures the zodiac from the fixed stars. Traditions place the starting point slightly differently (under 2°). Keep Lahiri unless you follow KP or Raman.

How the sky is divided into the 12 houses — the life areas like career, family and money.

Exact location

Only needed if your town isn't in the list. Leave the timezone blank to work it out from the coordinates (historical daylight saving is handled).

How it works

  1. 01Enter your birth date, time and place.
  2. 02The engine finds the Moon's exact position at that minute, and which of the 27 nakshatras and which pada it falls in.
  3. 03See your star, its ruler, deity and temperament — then save it as your chart to use the whole app.

Questions about the nakshatra finder

What is a nakshatra?

One of the 27 lunar mansions that divide the sidereal zodiac into equal 13°20′ parts. Your birth star (janma nakshatra) is the one the Moon was in when you were born; each is split into four quarters (padas) of 3°20′.

Do I need my birth time?

Yes, for the nakshatra and especially the pada: the Moon moves through a nakshatra in about a day and through a pada in about six hours. Without a time the tool shows the star it was in at noon and says so.

Why does my nakshatra decide my dasha periods?

The Vimshottari dasha system starts from the Moon's nakshatra at birth: its ruling planet runs the first period, and how far the Moon had travelled through the star sets how much of it was left. Ayana computes this exactly.

Is my nakshatra the same as my Moon sign?

No — the Moon sign is one of 12 signs (30° each), the nakshatra one of 27 stars (13°20′ each). A sign holds two and a quarter nakshatras, so two people with the same Moon sign can have different birth stars.