What is the Nakshatra & Pada Calculator?
The nakshatras are 27 lunar mansions: equal slices of the sky, each 13°20' wide, that the Moon passes through roughly one per day. Each has a name, a ruling planet, a deity, a symbol and a character. Your Janma Nakshatra is the one the Moon was in when you were born.
Each nakshatra is divided into four padas (quarters). The pada gives a starting syllable (namakshar) that many Indian families use when choosing a name, and it links the nakshatra to a Navamsa sign.
Nakshatras are also the backbone of marriage matching (gana, yoni and nadi come from them) and of the Vimshottari dasha system.
How it works
We compute the Moon's sidereal longitude (Lahiri ayanamsa) for your birth moment, divide by 13°20' to find the nakshatra and by 3°20' to find the pada. The same is done for the Sun and, with a birth time, the Lagna.
Compatible nakshatras are ranked by actually scoring your nakshatra against all 27 using the four nakshatra-based kootas of the guna match: Tara, Yoni, Gana and Nadi (21 points).
How it connects to your star sign
Every nakshatra sits inside one or two zodiac signs (sidereal), so your nakshatra also tells you your Vedic Moon sign. The report shows that sign and compares it with your Western sun sign.