Ashwini is nakshatra 1 of the 27 nakshatras, the lunar mansions of Vedic astrology. Its symbol is a horse’s head, and its theme is swift beginnings and healing.
Positions in the sidereal zodiac with the Lahiri ayanamsa.
The four padas
Each nakshatra has four quarters of 3°20′. Each pada falls in a sign of the navamsa, the ninth-part chart.
Pada 1
0°00′ Aries to 3°20′ Aries
Navamsa Aries
Pada 2
3°20′ Aries to 6°40′ Aries
Navamsa Taurus
Pada 3
6°40′ Aries to 10°00′ Aries
Navamsa Gemini
Pada 4
10°00′ Aries to 13°20′ Aries
Navamsa Cancer
Ashwini and your dashas
If the Moon was in Ashwini when you were born, your Vimshottari dashas start with a Ketu period, which lasts 7 years in full. You start partway through it, by how far the Moon had travelled through Ashwini.
Is Ashwini your birth star?
Your birth star is the nakshatra the Moon was in when you were born. The Moon moves into a new one about once a day, so it takes your birth date, time and place.