Nakshatra 14 of 27 · चित्रा नक्षत्र

Chitra Nakshatra

Chitra crosses from Virgo into Libra, two padas in each, ruled by Mars under Vishwakarma. Its name means “the brilliant”: the jewel, the finished work of art, the striking image. A Chitra Moon is charismatic, aesthetic, ambitious and structurally minded — a builder of beautiful things and of a striking self. Natives are found in architecture, design, fashion, engineering and performance. Mars gives drive and a taste for the dramatic. It begins life in a seven-year Mars dasha.

Span
173°20′ – 186°40′
Rashi
Virgo / Libra
Lord (Vimshottari)
Mars · 7 years
Deity
Tvashtar / Vishwakarma, the divine architect
Symbol
Bright jewel, or a pearl
Gana
Rakshasa
Nadi
Madhya
Yoni
Tiger
Naming letters
Pe, Po, Ra, Ri

Chitra today

 

Computed at sunrise for the reference place; times are local to it. The Moon changes nakshatra roughly daily, the Sun about every fortnight.

Tara bala for Chitra-born, today

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Moon in Chitra

Sun in Chitra

Lord Mars today

The planet that rules this nakshatra and opens its Vimshottari cycle.

Ask the AI astrologer what this star means in your chart

The four padas of Chitra

Each nakshatra is divided into four padas of 3°20′. The pada sets the navamsa (D9) sign of a Moon placed there and the traditional first syllable of a name.

PadaDegreesRashiNavamsa signSyllable
1173°20′176°40′VirgoLeoPe
2176°40′180°00′VirgoVirgoPo
3180°00′183°20′LibraLibraRa
4183°20′186°40′LibraScorpioRi

Chitra in a birth chart

  • Brilliance and charisma
  • Design and structure
  • Ambition and self-display
  • Impatience with the plain

These are the classical themes of a Moon in Chitra. How they play out depends on the rest of the chart — the Moon's house, its lord Mars's own placement, and the dasha running now. The AI astrologer reads all of that together.

Neighbouring stars

FAQ

Chitra nakshatra — common questions

What is Chitra nakshatra?

Chitra (चित्रा) is the 14th of the 27 nakshatras, spanning 173°20′–186°40′ of the sidereal zodiac (23°20′ Virgo to 6°40′ Libra). Its Vimshottari lord is Mars, its deity Tvashtar / Vishwakarma, the divine architect, its symbol the bright jewel, or a pearl. It belongs to the Rakshasa gana and the Madhya nadi, with the tiger yoni.

Which rashi is Chitra in?

It crosses a sign boundary: padas 1, 2 in Virgo and padas 3, 4 in Libra. Your Moon sign depends on your pada, which is why the birth time matters here.

What is the first dasha for someone born in Chitra?

Mars mahadasha, which lasts 7 years in full. How much of it remains at birth depends on how far through Chitra the Moon had travelled — the balance of dasha — so two people born under Chitra can have very different first chapters. The dasha calculator computes yours to the day.

What are the naming letters for Chitra?

By pada: pada 1 — Pe, pada 2 — Po, pada 3 — Ra, pada 4 — Ri. Traditional naming (namakarana) picks a first syllable from the pada the Moon occupied at birth.

Is today good for someone born in Chitra?

That is tara bala: count today's nakshatra from Chitra and fold into nine. Sampat, Kshema, Sadhaka, Mitra and Ati Mitra are favourable; Vipat, Pratyari and Vadha are not; Janma is neutral. The card on this page computes it from the ephemeris each day.