Astrum nocte lucet.

That is a very common beginner question. Astrum is nominative singular here, so it is the subject: star.

The reason this can be confusing is that astrum is a neuter noun of the second declension. In Latin, neuter nominative singular and neuter accusative singular often look the same. So:

• astrum = nominative singular star
• astrum = accusative singular star

You tell which one it is from the sentence. In Astrum nocte lucet, lucet is a singular verb meaning shines, so astrum is the thing doing the action.

Nocte is ablative singular of nox, noctis (night).

Here it is an example of the ablative of time when, which is often used without a preposition. It means:

• at night
• by night
• during the night

So nocte tells you when the star shines.

Latin often uses the ablative by itself for expressions of time. So for a general idea like at night, Latin normally just says:

• nocte = at night

Using in is usually unnecessary here. A learner may expect a preposition because English usually needs one, but Latin does not.

So:

• nocte lucet = it shines at night

rather than

• in nocte lucet

for this simple meaning.

Lucet is the third-person singular present active indicative of lucere, meaning to shine or to give light.

So lucet means:

• he/she/it shines
• is shining
• sometimes simply shines brightly

Because the subject is astrum (star), the natural English translation is it shines or the star shines.

Latin usually does not need to state subject pronouns like I, you, he, she, it unless they are being emphasized.

The ending of the verb already tells you the person and number:

• -et in lucet = third-person singular

So lucet already contains the idea of it shines. Since astrum is present, Latin does not need a separate word for it.

Latin has no articles like English the, a, or an.

So astrum can mean:

• a star
• the star

Which one sounds best depends on context. If this sentence is standing alone, English could translate it either way:

• A star shines at night.
• The star shines at night.

Latin leaves that distinction to context.

Yes, the words could be arranged differently. Latin word order is much more flexible than English word order because the endings show the grammatical relationships.

Astrum nocte lucet is a perfectly normal sentence. But Latin could also say:

• Nocte astrum lucet
• Lucet astrum nocte
• Astrum lucet nocte

These all mean basically the same thing, though the emphasis may shift a little:

• putting nocte first can highlight when
• putting lucet first can sound more vivid or literary
• ending with the verb is also very common in Latin

So the order here is natural, but not the only possibility.

It is a Latin word for star, but learners should know that stella is also very common.

Very roughly:

• astrum can mean star, heavenly body, or sometimes something a bit more elevated or poetic
• stella is also a normal everyday word for star

So Astrum nocte lucet is good Latin, but a learner might also encounter stella in other sentences.

A good classroom-style Classical Latin pronunciation is roughly:

• AH-strum NOK-teh LOO-ket

A few helpful points:

• c is always hard, like k
• ct is pronounced clearly in nocte
• the final -e in nocte and lucet is pronounced, not silent

So you should not say it like English loo-set or nokt. Each vowel is sounded.