Who is Astrophel in the sonnet, Astrophel and Stella?

Astrophel (or Astrophil) is the primary speaker in the sequence. His name comes from two Greek words, "aster" meaning "star" and "phil" meaning "lover," meaning his name translates to "Lover of Stars." Many critics believe that Astrophel is a persona meant to represent Philip Sidney himself, and poets who continued to mourn Sidney after his untimely death frequently referred to the poet as "Astrophel" in their own writing.