In Vedic astrology, Rahu is the North Node and Ketu is the South Node. Rahu shows where your soul is headed in this lifetime — ambition, desire and future growth. Ketu shows what you carry from the past — detachment, spirituality and old habits to release. Enter your birth date below and find both instantly, free.
1. Enter your date of birth. 2. Click Calculate. 3. Read your result: your Rahu sign is your growth direction, and the opposite sign is your Ketu. Then open your Rahu sign's full meaning below to learn what it means for your life purpose.
Rahu and Ketu are not planets. They are the two points where the Moon's orbit crosses the Sun's path — the lunar nodes. In Vedic myth they are the head (Rahu) and tail (Ketu) of a celestial dragon, forever chasing the Sun and Moon. Astronomically, Rahu is the North Node and Ketu the South Node, always exactly opposite each other. The nodes move backward through the zodiac, completing a full cycle every 18.6 years and spending about 18 months in each sign — which is why your birth date alone finds your signs.
Rahu in a sign means the same as North Node in that sign. Read your full meaning:
Your Rahu sign shows what you are learning; its house shows where in life the lesson unfolds. (House placement needs your birth time — see our main Moon Nodes Calculator for your full chart.)
This calculator uses the Mean Node, the averaged nodal position most astrologers work with. The True Node tracks the node's exact wobbling position and can fall in a neighbouring sign only if you were born very close to a sign change.
Yes. Rahu is the Vedic name for the North Node, and Ketu is the Vedic name for the South Node. Western astrology and Vedic astrology use the same two points — they simply interpret them differently: Western astrology more psychologically, Vedic astrology more karmically.
No — for the signs, your birth date is enough. Rahu and Ketu move slowly, spending about 18 months in each sign. Birth time is only needed for the house placement of Rahu and Ketu, which requires your full birth chart.
The Mean Node is the averaged position of the lunar node and changes smoothly. The True Node uses the node's exact position, which wobbles slightly. Most modern astrologers accept either; they are in the same sign except near boundaries.
It means your soul's growth direction (Rahu) is independence and courage, while your past-life comfort zone (Ketu) is partnership and pleasing others. Every Rahu-Ketu pair works this way: Rahu shows where you are headed, Ketu shows what you are learning to release.