Star asterisms or constellations were called nakshtras in Vedic times, and are still used in the Hindu calendar to this day. Although most of the nakshtras are constellations, some are names for bright stars seen in the night sky. The Vedics divided the path traversed by the moon into 27 equal parts, with the moon spending a day in each nakshtra and the sun about 13 1/3 day in each. But the moon takes 27 1/3 days to complete one revolution around the Earth. The Rig Veda references 27 nakshtras but in later literature the number was increased to 28. The 28 nakshtras along with their western equivalent positions are:
| Nakshtra | Western equivalent | |
| 1 | Krttika | Plieades |
| 2 | Rohini | Aldebaran (α Tauri) |
| 3 | Mrgasirsa | Orion’s head (λ,ϕ1, ϕ2 Orionis) |
| 4 | Ardra | Betelgeuse (α Orionis) |
| 5 | Punarvasu | Castor and Pollux |
| 6 | Tisya/Pusya | α, β, γ, δ Cancri |
| 7 | Asresa/Aslesa | δ, α, ζ Hydrae |
| 8 | Magha | α, η, γ, ζ, μ, ε Leonis (group of stars near Regulas) |
| 9 | Purva Phalguni | δ and θ Leonis |
| 10 | Uttara Phalguni | β and 93 Leonis |
| 11 | Hasta | δ, γ, ε, α, β Corvus |
| 12 | Citra | Spica (α Virginis) |
| 13 | Svati/Nistya | Arcturus (α Bootis) |
| 14 | Visakha | α, β, σ Librae |
| 15 | Anuradha | β, δ, π Scorpii |
| 16 | Jyestha | Antares (α Scorpii) |
| 17 | Mula | ε to λ, ν Scorpii |
| 18 | Purva Asadha | δ, ε Sagittarii |
| 19 | Uttara Asadha | α, ζ Sagittarii |
| 20 | Abhijit | Vega (α Lyrae) |
| 21 | Sravana/Srona | α, β, γ Aquillae and Altair |
| 22 | Sravistha/Dhanistha | α, β, δ, γ Delphini |
| 23 | Satabhisaj | λ Aquarii and neighboring stars |
| 24 | Prosthapada | α, β Pegasi |
| 25 | Uttara Prosthapada/ Bhadrapada | γ Pegasi and α Andromedae |
| 26 | Revati | η, α Piscium |
| 27 | Asvayujau/ Asvini | β and α Arietis |
| 28 | Apabharani | 35, 39, 41 Arietis |
Reference:
Kak, Subhash C. (2000). ‘Birth and Early Development of Indian Astronomy’. In Selin, Helaine (2000). Astronomy Across Cultures: The History of Non-Western Astronomy (303-340). Boston: Kluwer. ISBN 0-7923-6363-9.
Kak, Subhash C. (2000). ‘Astronomy and its Role in Vedic Culture’. In Pande, G.C. (2000). Science and Civilization in India, Vol.1, The Dawn of Indian Civilization, (507-524). Delhi, ICPR.
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