Your birth star — the sky's 27-fold division the Moon occupied at your first breath. Enter your birth details for a precise sidereal answer.
Daylight saving at your birth? If unsure, the result is still reliable — the Moon moves about half a degree an hour.
Vedic astrology divides the sky into 27 lunar mansions — Nakshatras — each spanning 13°20′. Your birth star is the one the Moon occupied at the moment you were born. It is more specific than a Moon sign: where the sign paints your emotional nature in broad strokes, the Nakshatra names its exact texture — and it anchors your entire Vimshottari Dasha timeline, the planetary chapters your life moves through.
The Moon crosses a whole Nakshatra in roughly a day, so the calendar date alone is sometimes not enough. This calculator uses the same sidereal method (Lahiri ayanamsa) used in classical Indian panchangas, computed to the minute when you provide a birth time.
Do I need my exact birth time?Usually the date is enough, because the Moon spends about a day in each star. But if you were born on a day the Moon changed stars, the time decides — the calculator tells you when that's the case.
Is Nakshatra the same as Moon sign?No — your Moon sign (Rashi) is one of 12 signs; the Nakshatra is a finer 27-fold division. Two people with the same Moon sign can have quite different birth stars.
What is a pada?Each Nakshatra divides into four quarters (padas) of 3°20′ each. The pada refines the reading further and sets the traditional first syllable used in naming.