Naksatra
Naksatra History
The ecliptic is divided into 27 Naksatras, which are variously called lunar houses or asterisms.
These reflect the moon's cycle against the fixed stars, 27 days and 7¾ hours, the fractional
part being compensated for by an intercalary 28th nakatra titled Abhijit.
Naksatra's computation appears to have been well known at the time of the Rigveda (2nd–1st millennium BC)
The ecliptic is divided into the naksatras eastwards starting from a reference point which is traditionally a point.
on the ecliptic directly opposite the star Spica called Citra in Sanskrit.
(Other slightly different definitions exist).
It is called Meadi - "start of Aries"; this is when the equinox — where the ecliptic meets the equator,
— was in Aries (today it is in Pisces, 28 degrees before Aries starts).
The difference between Meadi and the present equinox is known as Ayanasa,
- denoting by how much of a fraction of degrees & minutes the ecliptic has progressed from its fixed (sidereal) position.
Given the 25,800 year cycle for the precession of the equinoxes,
the equinox was directly opposite Spica in AD 285, around the date of the Surya Siddhanta.
The naksatras with their corresponding regions of sky are given below, following Basham. As always,
there are many versions with minor differences.
The names on the right-hand column give roughly the correspondence of the nakatras to modern names of stars.
Note that naksatras are (in this context) not just single stars but are segments on the ecliptic characterised by one or more stars.
Hence more than one star is mentioned for each naksatra.
Published by: Kuldeep Sharma
Kuldeepsharma1627@gmail.com
The ecliptic is divided into 27 Naksatras, which are variously called lunar houses or asterisms.
These reflect the moon's cycle against the fixed stars, 27 days and 7¾ hours, the fractional
part being compensated for by an intercalary 28th nakatra titled Abhijit.
Naksatra's computation appears to have been well known at the time of the Rigveda (2nd–1st millennium BC)
The ecliptic is divided into the naksatras eastwards starting from a reference point which is traditionally a point.
on the ecliptic directly opposite the star Spica called Citra in Sanskrit.
(Other slightly different definitions exist).
It is called Meadi - "start of Aries"; this is when the equinox — where the ecliptic meets the equator,
— was in Aries (today it is in Pisces, 28 degrees before Aries starts).
The difference between Meadi and the present equinox is known as Ayanasa,
- denoting by how much of a fraction of degrees & minutes the ecliptic has progressed from its fixed (sidereal) position.
Given the 25,800 year cycle for the precession of the equinoxes,
the equinox was directly opposite Spica in AD 285, around the date of the Surya Siddhanta.
The naksatras with their corresponding regions of sky are given below, following Basham. As always,
there are many versions with minor differences.
The names on the right-hand column give roughly the correspondence of the nakatras to modern names of stars.
Note that naksatras are (in this context) not just single stars but are segments on the ecliptic characterised by one or more stars.
Hence more than one star is mentioned for each naksatra.
Published by: Kuldeep Sharma
Kuldeepsharma1627@gmail.com
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