Question

What do you mean by nakshatra? It is divided into how many parts? Name any five nakshatras?

Answer 1

The word Nakshatra means a shining star. They are considered to be the term for a lunar mansion in ancient Indian Vedic astronomy.

Complete step by step answer:
Nakshatra is a Sanskrit term for the lunar mansion that has been divided into 28 sectors based on the position of prominent stars near the respective sectors. There is a 27-day time cycle for each particular group of stars.
The relationship to the stars really has to do with the periodicity with which the Moon travels over time and through space past the field of the specific stars which we call nakshatras. This can be thought of like the moon as the hand of a clock that travels through the different stars as a hand moves in a clock periodically.
Each of the 27 Nakshatras cover $13^\circ {\text{ }}20'$ of the ecliptic path of the Earth’s revolution around the sun with each Nakshatra characterized by an astronomical partner that appears in the sky in that time duration.
The names of five nakshatras are

1. Ashwini
2. Bharani
3. Krittika
4. Rohini
5. Punarvasu

Note: As mentioned in the solution, each Nakshatra is characterized or recognized by a certain celestial body. The astronomical mate of Ashwini is the southern lunar node that contains the Aries constellation. The mate of Bharani is Venus. Krittika is associated with the appearance of the sun and contains the Taurus constellation. Rohini is linked with the moon and contains the Gemini constellation. Punarvasu is linked with Jupiter and contains the cancer constellation.