What the nakshatra of a moment means
The zodiac is divided into 27 equal parts of 13 degrees 20 minutes, called nakshatras, and each is split into four padas of 3 degrees 20 minutes. The nakshatra of any moment is the part the Moon is in then. The Moon moves about 13 degrees a day, so it spends close to a day in each nakshatra, a little less or more depending on its speed, and it visits all 27 in about 27 days.
Indian calendars use the nakshatra of the day, together with the tithi, the weekday and the yoga, to choose times for many rites. Some pujas name a nakshatra directly: a monthly puja on the day the Moon is in your birth nakshatra, a temple festival kept on a certain star, or a family rite where a priest asks for a particular nakshatra.
What this calculator gives you
For the date, time and place you enter, the calculator shows:
- The nakshatra and pada at that exact moment, with the nakshatra’s ruling planet in the Vimshottari scheme.
- When that nakshatra began and when it ends, in the local time of the place.
- The four padas of that nakshatra with their start and end times.
- Every nakshatra that runs through that civil day.
- The nakshatra at local sunrise, which is the one a daily panchang prints for the day.
- The next three times the Moon enters the same nakshatra, which is useful when a puja is fixed to it.
The place is used for the time zone and for sunrise. The nakshatra itself is the same everywhere at the same instant, but the clock time and the day it falls on differ from city to city.
Sunrise nakshatra or the nakshatra at the time
A daily panchang gives one nakshatra for the day, the one running at sunrise. A rite performed in the evening may fall in a different nakshatra, because the Moon can move on during the day. Traditions differ on which one counts. Some rites follow the sunrise nakshatra, some the nakshatra during a named part of the day such as the aparahna (the afternoon), and the family priest decides. This is why the calculator shows both the nakshatra at your chosen time and the nakshatra at sunrise.
How it is worked out
The Moon’s position comes from Swiss Ephemeris samples built into the site, with the sidereal zodiac and the Lahiri ayanamsa, the one used in Indian panchangs. Start and end times are found by narrowing down to the second where the Moon crosses a nakshatra boundary, and they are shown cut to the minute, the way a printed panchang gives them. A printed panchang may differ by a few minutes because different publishers fix the ayanamsa and the place a little differently.
If the Moon changes nakshatra within ten minutes of the time you enter, the calculator says so, and it is wise to check the exact moment with your priest. For a birth chart, use the Nakshatra calculator, and for the full panchang of a moment, the Janma panchang. The muhurat guide explains how nakshatra, tithi and weekday combine for common events.
Frequently asked questions
↳ Is the nakshatra the same everywhere in the world at the same moment?
Yes, the Moon is in one nakshatra at any instant. The local clock time and even the date differ between cities, so enter the clock time at the place where the rite will be held.
↳ Why does my panchang show a different nakshatra for the day?
A daily panchang usually names the nakshatra at sunrise. The Moon can change nakshatra later in the day, so the nakshatra at your chosen time can differ. This calculator shows both.
↳ How long does the Moon stay in one nakshatra?
Roughly a day. It ranges from about 21 hours to about 27 hours, because the Moon's speed changes through its orbit.
↳ Which nakshatra should I use for a puja?
That depends on the rite and your tradition, so ask your priest. The calculator gives the nakshatra at the time and at sunrise, with start and end times, so you can follow either.
↳ Why might another site show a time a few minutes different?
Different sites use slightly different ayanamsa values, ephemerides and rounding. A difference of a few minutes at a boundary is normal. Near a boundary, ask your priest which source to follow.