Vedic astrology · glossary
Ayanāṁśa
The angle between the tropical and sidereal zodiacs; Vedic charts subtract it to fix planetary positions.
What it means
Because of the precession of the equinoxes, the tropical zodiac (tied to the seasons) drifts against the fixed stars by about 50″ a year. The ayanāṁśa is that accumulated gap — currently near 24°. This app uses the Lahiri (Chitrapakṣa) ayanāṁśa, the standard for Indian astronomy.
How it's computed
ephemeris.ts anchors Lahiri at 23.85291° at J2000 and advances it with the IAU precession rate, giving roughly arc-minute accuracy; every sidereal longitude is tropical-of-date minus this value.
Deterministic, license-clean engine (astronomy-engine, VSOP87-grade; Lahiri ayanāṁśa). The AI advisor only narrates these computed facts — it never invents chart data.
See it in a real chart
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Frequently asked
- Why do Vedic and Western positions differ?
- Western astrology is tropical; Vedic is sidereal and subtracts the ayanāṁśa, shifting positions about 24° — often a whole sign back.
- Which ayanāṁśa does this app use?
- Lahiri (Chitrapakṣa), the official Indian standard, anchored at J2000 and advanced with the IAU precession rate.