Nakshatra and pada calculator by date of birth

A nakshatra finder for the birth star (janma nakshatra) and its pada: enter the date and time of birth to get both, with the ruling planet and the syllable a baby’s name traditionally starts with. No time? It shows every nakshatra and pada of the day.

Date, time and place of birth

Date of birth

Time of birth

UTC offset at the place of birth

Time not known (show the whole day)

The Moon moves about 13° a day, half a degree an hour, so the time matters: the rashi changes every two to three days and the nakshatra about once a day. Use the clock time on the birth record. For India choose UTC+05:30 (Indian Standard Time); for a birth abroad, choose the offset in force that day, including summer time.

How the birth star is calculated

The 27 nakshatras divide the sidereal zodiac into equal parts of 13°20′, starting with Ashwini at 0° of Mesh. The calculator turns the local birth time into universal time, computes the Moon’s longitude, subtracts the Lahiri ayanamsa and divides by 13°20′: the whole part gives the nakshatra and the remainder, in steps of 3°20′, the pada. The ruling planet follows the Vimshottari order, which repeats every nine nakshatras from Ketu.

One day, several nakshatras

The Moon moves about 13° a day, roughly one nakshatra, so the date alone is rarely enough. On 14 March 2025 (IST) it began the day in Purva Phalguni pada 4, reached Uttara Phalguni pada 1 at 06:19, reached Uttara Phalguni pada 2 at 12:56 and reached Uttara Phalguni pada 3 at 19:34. Each of those padas has a different naming syllable.

The 27 nakshatras by Moon position

Nakshatra, span of the sidereal zodiac, ruling planet and pada syllables
Nakshatra	Moon between	Ruling planet	Pada syllables (1–4)
1. Ashwini अश्विनी	Mesh 0°00′ – Mesh 13°20′	Ketu	Chu, Che, Cho, La
2. Bharani भरणी	Mesh 13°20′ – Mesh 26°40′	Venus	Li, Lu, Le, Lo
3. Krittika कृत्तिका	Mesh 26°40′ – Vrishabh 10°00′	Sun	A, I, U, E
4. Rohini रोहिणी	Vrishabh 10°00′ – Vrishabh 23°20′	Moon	O, Va, Vi, Vu
5. Mrigashira मृगशिरा	Vrishabh 23°20′ – Mithun 6°40′	Mars	Ve, Vo, Ka, Ki
6. Ardra आर्द्रा	Mithun 6°40′ – Mithun 20°00′	Rahu	Ku, Gha, Ng, Chha
7. Punarvasu पुनर्वसु	Mithun 20°00′ – Kark 3°20′	Jupiter	Ke, Ko, Ha, Hi
8. Pushya पुष्य	Kark 3°20′ – Kark 16°40′	Saturn	Hu, He, Ho, Da
9. Ashlesha आश्लेषा	Kark 16°40′ – Kark 30°00′	Mercury	Di, Du, De, Do
10. Magha मघा	Singh 0°00′ – Singh 13°20′	Ketu	Ma, Mi, Mu, Me
11. Purva Phalguni पूर्वा फाल्गुनी	Singh 13°20′ – Singh 26°40′	Venus	Mo, Ta, Ti, Tu
12. Uttara Phalguni उत्तरा फाल्गुनी	Singh 26°40′ – Kanya 10°00′	Sun	Te, To, Pa, Pi
13. Hasta हस्त	Kanya 10°00′ – Kanya 23°20′	Moon	Pu, Sha, Na, Tha
14. Chitra चित्रा	Kanya 23°20′ – Tula 6°40′	Mars	Pe, Po, Ra, Ri
15. Swati स्वाति	Tula 6°40′ – Tula 20°00′	Rahu	Ru, Re, Ro, Ta
16. Vishakha विशाखा	Tula 20°00′ – Vrishchik 3°20′	Jupiter	Ti, Tu, Te, To
17. Anuradha अनुराधा	Vrishchik 3°20′ – Vrishchik 16°40′	Saturn	Na, Ni, Nu, Ne
18. Jyeshtha ज्येष्ठा	Vrishchik 16°40′ – Vrishchik 30°00′	Mercury	No, Ya, Yi, Yu
19. Mula मूल	Dhanu 0°00′ – Dhanu 13°20′	Ketu	Ye, Yo, Bha, Bhi
20. Purva Ashadha पूर्वाषाढ़ा	Dhanu 13°20′ – Dhanu 26°40′	Venus	Bhu, Dha, Pha, Dha
21. Uttara Ashadha उत्तराषाढ़ा	Dhanu 26°40′ – Makar 10°00′	Sun	Bhe, Bho, Ja, Ji
22. Shravana श्रवण	Makar 10°00′ – Makar 23°20′	Moon	Khi, Khu, Khe, Kho
23. Dhanishta धनिष्ठा	Makar 23°20′ – Kumbh 6°40′	Mars	Ga, Gi, Gu, Ge
24. Shatabhisha शतभिषा	Kumbh 6°40′ – Kumbh 20°00′	Rahu	Go, Sa, Si, Su
25. Purva Bhadrapada पूर्वा भाद्रपद	Kumbh 20°00′ – Meen 3°20′	Jupiter	Se, So, Da, Di
26. Uttara Bhadrapada उत्तरा भाद्रपद	Meen 3°20′ – Meen 16°40′	Saturn	Du, Tha, Jha, Na
27. Revati रेवती	Meen 16°40′ – Meen 30°00′	Mercury	De, Do, Cha, Chi

Learn more

Rashi by date of birth: the same calculation with the Moon sign first.
Star names in other languages: Malayalam nakshatra finder, Tamil nakshatra calculator and Telugu nakshatra calculator.
Nakshatra by name: the nakshatra of a name’s first syllable.
Tarabalam calculator: once you know your birth star, check which of the nine taras a day’s nakshatra falls on.
Gandmool nakshatra calculator: whether the birth star is one of the six gandmool nakshatras at the water-fire junctions.
Tithi calculator: the janma tithi, yoga and karana of the same moment.
Dasha calculator: the Vimshottari mahadasha and antardasha dates that follow from the birth star.
Rashi name finder, nakshatra letters chart and baby names by nakshatra.
The 27 nakshatras explained.
Baby name finder and name number calculator: shortlist names, then check their numbers.

Frequently asked questions

How do I find my nakshatra by date of birth?

Enter the date, the time and the UTC offset of the place of birth. The calculator finds the Moon's sidereal longitude at that moment (Lahiri ayanamsa) and reads off which of the 27 nakshatras, each 13°20′ wide, it was in, and which of the four padas. That is your birth star, or janma nakshatra.

What is a pada, and why does it matter for a baby's name?

Each nakshatra is cut into four padas of 3°20′. In the namkaran tradition every pada has its own starting syllable, 108 in all, so the pada of the birth star gives the first sound of the baby's name. The tool shows that syllable with the result.

Is this a nakshatra pada calculator too?

Yes. The pada is worked out from the same Moon position: the nakshatra's 13°20′ is split into four padas of 3°20′, and the result names the pada (1 to 4) along with the nakshatra. If the Moon was within half a degree of a pada edge, the tool says so.

Why does another calculator or my panchang show a different nakshatra?

Usually for one of four reasons: the birth was close to the edge of a nakshatra (the tool warns when it is within half a degree, about an hour of the Moon's motion); a different ayanamsa; a wrong UTC offset; or the panchang lists the nakshatra in force at sunrise, which is the nakshatra of the day, not of the birth moment.

What if I do not know the time of birth?

Tick 'time not known'. The tool then lists every nakshatra and pada the Moon passed through on that day, with the local time of each change. The Moon spends about a day in each nakshatra, so a date alone usually narrows it to two.

Is this the same as nakshatra by name?

No. Nakshatra by name reads the nakshatra from a name's first syllable. Nakshatra by date of birth is the star the Moon was actually in at birth. They agree only when the name was chosen from the birth star's syllable.