A planet's house is read at the recorded birth time.
Hasta held the Moon until about 2:23 am, more than two hours after midnight. The Moon itself rules Hasta, so it sits in its own nakshatra. Mars, the planet of energy, travels beside it.
Mercury stayed in Mithun all day, so its sign is certain whatever the exact hour. Four planets gather in this one sign. On 16 May 1888 he showed his alternating current motor to American electrical engineers.
The Moon stayed in Kanya until about 3:54 pm, so the pair holds for a birth around midnight. Ketu sits in the same sign. Kanya is Mercury's sign, linked with analysis and exact work.
Jupiter held Meen through the whole day, so this holds at any hour. Jupiter's long period ran from 1882 to 1898. His motor demonstration, his citizenship and the Niagara plant's opening all fall inside it. So do his hardest years: he lost his first company in 1886, and a fire destroyed his laboratory in 1895.
Nikola Tesla was born at the stroke of midnight between 9 and 10 July 1856, in Smiljan. That account comes from a biographer, not from a written record. So this reading leans on signs and nakshatras, which hold on both sides of midnight.
Four planets sit in Mithun (Gemini): the Sun, Mercury, Venus and Saturn. Mercury, the planet of the intellect, is in its own sign there. Jupiter, the planet of wisdom, is in its own sign Meen (Pisces).
The Moon is in Kanya (Virgo), in Hasta, the nakshatra of the hand. Mars joins it there and forms Chandra Mangal Yoga. This reading sets the chart beside the record of his inventions. It does not claim the chart made the inventor.
💡 Click any house above to view planetary details
| Planet | Rashi | Degree | Nakshatra | House | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lagna | Mesh | 11.10° | Ashwini, pada 4 | 1 | |
| Sun | Mithun | 25.96° | Punarvasu, pada 2 | 3 | |
| Moon | Kanya | 22.16° | Hasta, pada 4 | 6 | |
| Mars | Kanya | 27.10° | Chitra, pada 2 | 6 | |
| Mercury | Mithun | 6.27° | Mrigashira, pada 4 | 3 | |
| Jupiter | Meen | 16.74° | Revati, pada 1 | 12 | |
| Venus | Mithun | 22.98° | Punarvasu, pada 1 | 3 | combust |
| Saturn | Mithun | 13.71° | Ardra, pada 3 | 3 | combust |
| Rahu | Meen | 28.21° | Revati, pada 4 | 12 | retrograde |
| Ketu | Kanya | 28.21° | Chitra, pada 2 | 6 | retrograde |
Read at the recorded birth time. Those marked "all day" hold whatever the time.
| Mahadasha | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|
| Moon | 10 July 1856 | 26 May 1857 |
| Mars | 26 May 1857 | 26 May 1864 |
| Rahu | 26 May 1864 | 26 May 1882 |
| Jupiter | 26 May 1882 | 26 May 1898 |
| Saturn | 26 May 1898 | 26 May 1917 |
| Mercury | 26 May 1917 | 26 May 1934 |
| Ketu | 26 May 1934 | 26 May 1941 |
| Venus | 26 May 1941 | 26 May 1961 |
| Sun | 26 May 1961 | 26 May 1967 |
A mahadasha is a long planetary period that lasts several years. An antardasha is a shorter sub-period inside it.
| Date | Milestone | Mahadasha (main period) | Antardasha (sub-period) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 May 1888 | Demonstrates his alternating current motor to the American Institute of Electrical Engineers | Jupiter | Mercury |
| 20 May 1891 | Lectures to the same institute on very high frequency currents | Jupiter | Venus |
| 30 July 1891 | Becomes a United States citizen, aged 35 | Jupiter | Venus |
| 25 August 1895 | The Adams power plant at Niagara Falls, with generators based on his work, goes into operation | Jupiter | Mars |
| 7 January 1943 | Dies in New York, aged 86 | Venus | Venus |
Every main period and sub-period shown holds for a birth 15 minutes either side of midnight.
The motor demonstration, the lecture, the citizenship and the Niagara plant all fall in Jupiter's long period. So do the loss of his first company and the 1895 laboratory fire. Jupiter sits in its own sign, Meen (Pisces).
He died in New York in the opening sub-period of Venus's long period.
