The 27 Nakshatras

Capstone: Reading a Chart's Nakshatras

Identify nakshatra and pada placements on a real reference chart — pure synthesis, no new mechanics.

The reference chart

Every claim here is checkable against the same reference chart used elsewhere in this app (see the chart tools you've already used for grahas and reading-the-chart). Nothing here is new mechanics — it's the mechanics from Level 1 (span, start, pada) applied to real longitudes, and the deities/symbols from Levels 2-10 applied to real planets.

The method

For any planet: take its sidereal longitude, divide by 13°20′ to find the nakshatra, then find how far into that nakshatra it sits to get the pada (each 3°20′ slice). The Moon's nakshatra at birth is the janma nakshatra — the one placement worth memorizing first.

Now find it yourself

Read your own chart's nakshatra table below and identify the Moon's nakshatra — its janma nakshatra.

Self-check the rest, don't guess

The Moon's placement above is auto-graded. For every other planet, this level is self-checked: work out its nakshatra and pada yourself, then compare against the model answer before moving on. If you're off, it's almost always an arithmetic slip in the longitude-to-nakshatra division — not a misunderstanding of the deities or symbols.

Terms introduced here

A nakshatra's span

Each of the 27 nakshatras spans exactly 13°20′ of the zodiac.

Padas — the quarter divisions

Each nakshatra splits into 4 padas of 3°20′ each, used for finer placement and navamsa.

The Moon's daily motion

The Moon moves roughly one nakshatra per day, completing the zodiac in about 27-28 days.

Navamsa basics

Each pada corresponds to one sign of the navamsa (D9) — a ninth division of the zodiac.