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Indian nakshatras

Shatabhisha · Śatabhiṣaj

Shatabhisha is a named station in the Indian nakshatra system, a lunar framework distinct from the 88 modern IAU constellations. In common star identifications it corresponds to a broad group in Aquarius traditionally centred near Lambda Aquarii.

Indian nakshatras

History and cultural context

Nakshatra lists occur in early Indian calendrical and ritual astronomy and were used to describe the Moon's progress against the stars. Shatabhisha is traditionally interpreted through the hundred healers, associated with Varuṇa; meanings and ritual associations vary by text, period and regional practice.

How Shatabhisha maps the sky

The nakshatras divide the Moon's sidereal circuit into 27 equal sectors in the dominant scheme, or 28 when Abhijit is inserted. The named stars act as markers, but a mansion is a longitudinal sector rather than a Western connect-the-dots figure.

Interesting facts about Shatabhisha

  • Nakshatra lists occur in early Indian calendrical and ritual astronomy and were used to describe the Moon's progress against the stars.
  • It is commonly located around a broad group in Aquarius traditionally centred near Lambda Aquarii, but that comparison does not make it identical to a modern IAU constellation.
  • The nakshatras divide the Moon's sidereal circuit into 27 equal sectors in the dominant scheme, or 28 when Abhijit is inserted.

How it fits the combined catalogue

The directory stores Shatabhisha as one canonical entry and uses badges for membership and overlap, rather than duplicating it under every official constellation it touches.

Research and cultural care

Use the Sanskrit name and describe this as part of a living Indian calendrical and astrological tradition. Its star marker may lie inside an IAU constellation, but that does not make the mansion equivalent to that constellation.

A personal connection to the night sky

Name a star while exploring Shatabhisha

Create a symbolic star registration with a certificate and sky coordinates, then use this guide to explore the surrounding sky. Cultural sky traditions do not always follow modern IAU boundaries, so availability is based on the corresponding astronomical region.

Star naming is a symbolic gift service. It does not change scientific names or designations maintained by the IAU.

Sources and further reading