Uttara Phalguni Nakshatra: Leo to Virgo
Find the Leo–Virgo split in Uttara Phalguni, its Sun period association and a 0° Virgo worked example. Distinguish it from Purva Phalguni.
Overview
Uttara Phalguni spans 26°40′ Leo to 10° Virgo, or 146°40′–160° total sidereal longitude. Pada 1 is in Leo; padas 2–4 are in Virgo. Its Vimshottari lord is the Sun throughout both signs.
At a glance
- Sidereal interval
- 146°40′–160°00′ total longitude
- Pada starting longitudes
- 146°40′, 150°00′, 153°20′, 156°40′
- Vimshottari association
- Sun; six-year full period
- Important distinction
- Only pada 1 lies in Leo
Why two rashi names appear on this page
Uttara Phalguni crosses the 150° sign boundary. A Moon in its first quarter is in Leo, while a Moon in its later quarters is in Virgo. Without a degree or pada, the nakshatra name alone cannot settle that sign question.
The Sun rules the Leo portion and Mercury rules Virgo in the sign scheme. The Sun’s Vimshottari association applies to the entire star; a Virgo occupant does not change the period lord to Mercury merely by crossing the sign boundary.
The Sun association continues at 0° Virgo
Use an invented Moon at 150° total longitude. It is 0° Virgo and the start of Uttara Phalguni pada 2, because the offset from 146°40′ is 3°20′. It is not Hasta, which begins at 160° total longitude.
Three quarters remain in the sector, so the Moon-based opening Sun balance is 6 × 3/4 = 4.5 dasha years. The time unit and actual birth timestamp must be stated before turning this fraction into dates.
What should not be inferred from the name?
The prefix Uttara distinguishes this sector from Purva Phalguni; it is not a ranking that makes one person more advanced than another. Similar spelling is not evidence of the same Moon placement or period lord.
For a practical chart review, retain Sun and Mercury positions separately from this coordinate label. Claims about marriage, agreements or social standing require more than the name of a star, and none is guaranteed by an exact interval lookup.
Sources and editorial basis
- P. V. R. Narasimha Rao: Vedic Astrology — An Integrated ApproachRao, §1.3.6 and Table 2, printed pp. 10–11: equal 27-sector convention, four 3°20′ padas and named boundaries. Table 2 entry Uttara Phalguni: interval and Vimshottari lord. §1.3.2 and Table 1, p. 6: rashi intervals. §3.3 and Table 6, pp. 34–35: seven-planet sign rulers, distinct from period lords. Original coordinates and boundary examples are editorial arithmetic, not observed birth charts. §16.2 and Table 38, pp. 210–211: Moon-based Vimshottari starting lord, remaining-arc fraction and explicit year-length disagreement. No dates are inferred without a timestamp and year convention.A named practitioner’s introduction to Jyotish. Used for terminology and a stated method, not universal school agreement or scientific validation. The added March 18, 2010 note describes changed views; it does not establish a fully revised 2010 edition.
- OpenFate Editorial MethodologyOpenFate Editorial Methodology, stable sections #editorial-principles, #editorial-workflow, #editorial-ai, and #editorial-context. Used for the calculation/interpretation and evidence-boundary policy.OpenFate separates deterministic chart calculation, traditional interpretation, and modern editorial explanation.
- Swiss Ephemeris Programmer’s Manual: Time, Sidereal Modes and HousesSwiss Ephemeris Programmer’s Manual, §3: geocentric planetary positions; §9.1–9.2: date, UTC and Julian-day conversion; §11: topocentric setting is distinct; §12.1–12.2: explicitly selected sidereal mode and ayanamsa. These sections support coordinate settings only, not nakshatra symbolism, personality, compatibility or event predictions.Primary software documentation for numerical time and position calculations. Sidereal modes, including named Lahiri variants, are explicit settings. The manual does not validate astrological interpretations.