Our Methodology

All planetary positions on Deluxe Astrology are calculated using the astronomy-engine library, which implements the NASA JPL DE431 ephemeris — the same planetary model used by NASA for spacecraft navigation. This gives us sub-arcsecond accuracy for all planetary positions from 1000 BCE to 3000 CE.

For every calculation, we use true tropical positions (not mean positions) unless Vedic sidereal output is requested. When computing Vedic (sidereal) charts, we apply the Lahiri ayanamsa — the standard adopted by the Indian government's Rashtriya Panchang and the most widely used correction in Jyotish practice globally.

Planetary positions are calculated for the exact birth time in the local time zone of the birth location, converted to UTC before the ephemeris query. We use the IANA timezone database (via the tzdata package) for all timezone lookups, which is updated with every DST change globally.

Western tropical charts default to the Placidus house system, the most commonly used system in Western astrology. Users can switch to Whole Sign, Koch, Equal House, or Porphyry systems within the birth chart calculator — all use the same planetary positions, only the house cusps change.

Vedic (Jyotish) charts use the Whole Sign house system as the primary framework, with the Lagna (Ascendant) as the first house cusp. The Bhava chart uses the Sripati system for derivative house calculations where applicable.

The Ascendant is calculated using standard oblique ascension formulas from the geographic latitude and longitude of the birth location, using the exact birth time and Julian Day Number derived from the Gregorian calendar date.

Nakshatra assignments use the Lahiri ayanamsa-corrected Moon longitude divided across the 27 Nakshatras (each 13°20'). Pada assignments subdivide each Nakshatra into four equal parts of 3°20'. This is consistent with classical Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra (BPHS) standards.

Dasha periods are calculated using the Vimshottari dasha system: the starting point is the Moon's longitude within its Nakshatra at birth, which determines the balance of the first mahadasha. All sub-periods (antardashas and pratyantar dashas) use the classical proportional calculation from BPHS.

Ashtakavarga scores are calculated for all seven classical planets (Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn) plus the Lagna, using the standard Parashari Ashtakavarga tables. The Sarvashtakavarga total is the sum of all eight Bindus.

Yoga detection uses the classical Parashari framework: Pancha Mahapurusha yogas, Raj yogas (planet combinations in kendra/trikona houses), Dhana yogas, and Arishta yogas. Each detected yoga includes the planetary configuration that creates it and the classical textual source.

Interpretive text on Deluxe Astrology is generated using Claude (Anthropic) for drafting and then processed through our RDA Humanizer pipeline before publication. The humanizer is trained on authentic astrological voice samples to ensure that tone, cadence, and vocabulary match the depth and nuance of traditional astrological literature — not the generic output of base language models.

All AI-generated content passes a quality gate that checks minimum word count (400 words per leaf page), Flesch-Kincaid readability score (≥50), a blocklist filter for absolutist prediction language, and H1 uniqueness across the site. Content that fails any gate is regenerated or manually edited before publication.

Deluxe Astrology applies TRIBE v2 neuroscience scoring to hero copy on major pages — the first astrology platform to use brain-predictive engagement models. TRIBE v2 (Meta Research) predicts engagement across emotional, narrative, meaning, and self-referential neural networks. Pages scoring below threshold are revised until they meet the engagement benchmark.

We never present AI-generated interpretations as definitive predictions. All readings use evidential language ("the chart suggests," "the placement indicates," "this transit often coincides with") rather than absolutist statements. Astrology describes tendencies and patterns — not certainties.

Deluxe Astrology was founded by Ravi Khorana and Sandhya Khorana. Ravi brings deep expertise in Jyotish (Vedic astrology) with particular focus on Nakshatras, Dasha systems, Muhurta (electional astrology), and Prashna (horary). Sandhya's practice spans Vedic astrology, holistic healing, and spiritual guidance, with extensive experience in chart counselling.

All Vedic calculation modules were reviewed against classical texts including Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra, Brihat Jataka, Saravali, and Phaladeepika. Where classical sources disagree on a calculation method (for example, specific Ashtakavarga Rekha values), we document the variance and implement the most widely adopted convention.

Western astrology content follows the modern psychological tradition, drawing on Liz Greene, Robert Hand, and the corpus of contemporary astrological practice. Aspect calculations use standard orb conventions: 8° for major aspects (conjunction, opposition, trine, square), 6° for sextile, 2° for minor aspects.

We publish corrections openly. If a calculation error is identified by a user or by our own testing, it is fixed in the calculation engine and all affected interpretations are flagged for review. We do not paper over errors.

Birth location lookups use a curated database of 250,000+ cities and towns with validated latitude, longitude, and timezone assignments. For locations not in our database, we fall back to country centroid coordinates with a user-visible warning.

Panchang calculations (tithi, nakshatra, yoga, karana, vara) use the same astronomy-engine ephemeris. Sunrise and sunset times are computed using the standard US Naval Observatory algorithm with a solar depression angle of 0.8333°, consistent with Indian almanac conventions.

Astrocartography lines (ACG) are calculated using the standard Jim Lewis methodology: the planetary lines are the set of geographic coordinates where a given planet would have been exactly on the Ascendant, Descendant, Midheaven, or IC at the moment of birth.