Nakshatra
नक्षत्रम्
The Moon circles the Earth against a backdrop of stars, completing one full loop in about 27.3 days. Ancient astronomers divided that loop into 27 equal segments called nakshatras, each named after the star pattern the Moon passes through during that segment — Ashwini, Bharani, Krittika, and so on.
Today's nakshatra
Uttara Phalguni
Shown for India (IST). Your own region may look slightly different.
Why it matters
Nakshatra is central to naming ceremonies, muhurta (auspicious timing) selection, and a person's birth-star identity in Vedic astrology — your janma nakshatra (birth nakshatra) is determined by where the Moon was at the moment you were born.
How it's calculated
We track the Moon's sidereal longitude (its position measured against the fixed stars, correcting for the slow wobble of Earth's axis) and divide the sky into 27 equal 13°20' slices.
27 nakshatras
All 27, in order
- 1Ashwini
- 2Bharani
- 3Krittika
- 4Rohini
- 5Mrigashira
- 6Ardra
- 7Punarvasu
- 8Pushya
- 9Ashlesha
- 10Magha
- 11Purva Phalguni
- 12Uttara Phalguni
- 13Hasta
- 14Chitra
- 15Swati
- 16Vishakha
- 17Anuradha
- 18Jyeshtha
- 19Mula
- 20Purva Ashadha
- 21Uttara Ashadha
- 22Shravana
- 23Dhanishta
- 24Shatabhisha
- 25Purva Bhadrapada
- 26Uttara Bhadrapada
- 27Revati