Alpy 200 Spectroscope

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.