Alpy 200 Spectroscope

930,00  incl. VAT - 775,00  excl. VAT

The little brother of the ALPY 600 for spectra of very faint objects with a resolution of around R=130

Complete your ALPY 200 spectroscope with the following products

Additional modules

Additional modules: technical specifications

Description
Shelyak ref.
Acc. type
Included
Comment
Guiding module
PF0036
Guiding module
To visualize the slit entrance during observation. Includes a 23μm mirror slit.
Calibration module
PF0037
Calibration module
For simple dark, calibration and flat images

Grating module

Grating module : technical specifications

Description
Shelyak ref.
Included

R @650 nm

Dispersion (nm/mm)

Integrated grating: Grism 200 gr/mm
130

Slits

Slits : technical specifications

Description
Shelyak ref.
Included
Material (% reflexion)
Mirror size
AR coating
Comment
Standard slit 23μm
SE0140
Chromium (55%)
11 x 10 mm
400 – 700 nm
Comes with Alpy calibration module.
Standard slit 23 μm
SE0136
Nickel (not polished)
D = 15mm
Real (physical)l hole, no coating
NON-reflective slit. Contains one 25 μm hole, one 3 mm hole, and 4 slits: 25, 50, 100 and 300μm.
Photometric slit
SE0145
Chromium (55%)
11 x 10 mm
400 – 700 nm
Requires the guiding module.
Slit 35μm
SE0150
Chromium (55%)
11 x 10 mm
400 – 700 nm
Requires the guiding module.
Slit 50μm
SE0151
Chromium (55%)
11 x 10 mm
400 – 700 nm
Requires the guiding module.
High-performance slit
SE0247
Protected aluminium (92%)
13 X 12,5 mm
350 – 800 nm
Requires the guiding module.
Mirror slit 10μm
SE0253
Chromium (55%)
12,2 x 13 mm
400 – 700 nm
Requires the guiding module. Very narrow slit for Alpy 600 (for use with small-pixel CMOS cameras)

Recommended guiding cameras

Recommended cameras: technical specifications

Description
Shelyak ref.
Included
Acc. type
Cooled
Comment
ASI 174 mini guiding camera
EL0244
Guiding camera
No
This is the standard guiding camera for the Alpy 600. Suitable for most applications. Requires the guiding module.
ASI 120 mini guiding camera
EL0304
Guiding camera
No
This is the “economical” camera for guiding the Alpy 600. Requires the guiding module.
Caméra QHY174-MM Pro
EL0253
Guiding camera
yes
Cooled camera for extreme observations (very faint targets with exposure times in excess of 30s). Requires the guiding module.

Recommended acquisition cameras

Recommended cameras: technical specifications

Description
Shelyak ref.
Included
Acc. type
Cooled
Comment
ZWO ASI 533MM-Pro
EL0327
Science camera
yes
Latest-generation CMOS camera (2022)
Atik 414EX mono
SE0176
Science camera
yes
Highly sensitive CCD camera for faint targets

Other accessories

Other accessories: technical specifications

Description
Shelyak ref.
Included
Acc. type
Comment
Power supply 12V/3A

EL0073

For the calibration module
12V/7A power supply + 4-way cable
SE0133
For the calibration module 12V power supply (7A), to power several accessories (cameras, lamps, etc.). Supplied with 5m silicone cable and 4 connectors (2x 2.5 mm and 2x 2.1 mm)
T-mount adapter ring for SCT
BA0027
To mount the calibration module on an SCT telescope with a 2″ (50.8mm) thread
Fiber optic adapter
SE0131
To mount an optical fiber on the alpy 600 (FC connector)
ST8/10 adapter
PU0149
Allows the Alpy 600 to be mounted on a SBIG ST8 or ST10 camera. Replaces the camera front part.
C-mount adapter
SE0129
To use the Alpy 600 with a C-mount camera
Adapter ring T-mount thread (M42 x 0.75mm) to 1,25″ nosepiece
PU0124
Mounts an Alpy 600 in a 1,25″ eyepiece holder
Spare lamp for flats
EL0116
Halogen lamp for calibration module (flat lamp).
Argon-Neon lamps
SE0148
Spare calibration lamp (Argon & Neon). Requires the calibration module.
Barlow lens
SE0128
To use the alpy 600 with a DSLR (55mm backfocus).
Eyepiece holder for guiding
SE0125
Eyepiece holder for Alpy 600 guiding system. It complements the guiding module and allows guiding by eye, rather than by camera. For 1,25″ eyepiece Eyepiece not supplied.
SPOX module short cable
ES0015
SPOX module for flat and calibration lamps remote control. Must be used with calibration module (SE0103). Version with short cable (80cm), if the SPOX module is installed onto the telescope.
SPOX module long cable
ES0014
SPOX module for flat and calibration lamps remote control. Must be used with calibration module (SE0103). Version with long cable (5m), if the SPOX module is installed beside the telescope (on a table for instance).
0.63x SCT F/6.3 focal reducer
EL0110
Focal reducer for an SCT (F/10) telescope. Changes the F-ratio from F/10 to F/6.3.

Learn all about the ALPY 200 spectroscope:

Description

Note: It was Robin Leadbeater who first suggested – several years ago – that we make a variant of the Alpy 600 for observing weak targets. Thank you Robin !
The Alpy 200 and Demetra software (specially developed for the Alpy 600) will enable you to produce spectra of the highest scientific quality.
The Alpy 200 opens the door to target astrophysics at the edge of the universe, enabling you to produce spectra of faint objects such as supernovae, quasars and other faint galaxies.
The Alpy 200 is a compact (just a few cm long), high-performance, modular and easy-to-use slit spectroscope. It’s a true scientific instrument that will stay with you for a long time.
Its resolving power (R=130) enables it to cover the entire visible range and even a little more (typically from 375nm in the near UV to 750 nm in the near IR). The dispersing element is a grism, i.e. the combination of a prism and a diffraction grating (200gr/mm).
The slit isolates a fringe from the light source. This brings several advantages: you isolate the object you wish to observe, you can work on extended objects (nebulae, planets), you can make calibration spectra… thanks to the slit, the quality of the spectrum obtained becomes independent of observation conditions (seeing, telescope tracking problems, etc.). The Alpy 200 is supplied with several interchangeable slots (see photo opposite), to cover a wide range of observation situations.
The compactness and lightness of the Alpy 200 make it compatible with small instruments (telescopes or refractors, from 80mm diameter), on modest mounts.
The Alpy 200’s optics have been specially designed to give the best image quality in the entire visible range, with a wide aperture (F/4). You’ll be amazed at the amount of information that can be extracted from such a small spectroscope! This quality is such that many scientific publications are based on observations with the Alpy 200.
Above, spectrum obtained by Robin Leadbeater with the Alpy 200 and a C1 on supernovae 2023 vxt of magnitude 18.6 (10 exposures of 600s).
The Alpy 200 is robust, insensitive to temperature variations, and requires few adjustments. This makes it an easy-to-use spectroscope, for fast, spectacular results. Operation is further simplified by the free Demetra software, which accompanies your observations from acquisition to data reduction.
The Alpy 200 is modular, meaning it can be used in a variety of ways. With naked eye (daylight), with a digital camera (DSLR), with a CCD camera, on a table or behind a telescope, the possible configurations are numerous, and the interfaces are standard.
The Alpy 200 can be extended with two optional modules: the autoguiding module and the calibration module. The function of the guiding module is to visualize the telescope field of view, and therefore to select and track the star you wish to observe. The calibration module allows you to make spectra of flats and a calibration lamp (Argon-Neon), for rapid wavelength calibration of your spectra.
With Demetra software, you can operate your Alpy 200, from spectra acquisition to data reduction. Demetra is available free of charge HERE.
We recommend the ZWO ASI533MM-Pro camera for spectra acquisition with the Alpy 200, but any camera with a sensor longer than 14mm and a mechanical pull between 10 and 20mm will do.

Specifications

  • resolving power: R ~130 with 23µm slit
  • Aperture : F/4
  • multi-position slit: hole 25µm; slits 25µm, 50µm, 100µm, 300µm (tolerance 5µm); hole 3mm.
  • slit length : 3mm.
  • light : 200g
  • compact: 65mm long with a diameter of 45mm
  • 1,25″ telescope adapter or T-mount thread (M42x0.75mm) with a backfocus of 3,8mm (distance between rim of 1,25″ adapter and slit)
  • Science camera: T-mount thread (M42x0.75mm), mechanical backfocus: 10.5-21mm range
  • Total backfocus with calibration module and autoguider: 64mm

Composition

– The Alpy 200 spectroscope
– Multiple interchangeable slits
Demetra software

Documents

Applications

Articles related to Alpy spectroscope :

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An exoplanet collision

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Demetra tutorial

Demetra tutorial

You'll find all our Demetra video tutorials on this web page. Demetra is a free software package for processing spectra from the ALPY 600, LISA and eShel spectrographs from the Shelyak Instruments range. Playlist of Demetra tutorials Tutorial #1 Introduction to...

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