The Alpy 600 and Demetra software (developed by Shelyak Instrument for the ALPY 600 spectrograph) will allow you to produce spectra that are scientifically usable. The Alpy 600 opens the door to the world of Astrophysics , allowing you to explore different types of stellar objects (stars, galaxies, nebulae, planets, comets, and more), compare the different spectral types, observe absorption and emission lines, see how (some) stars evolve from one day to the other – the possibilities are limitless.
The Alpy 600 is simple, modular, compact and easy to use slit spectroscope . These attributes make it ideal to get started in astronomical spectroscopy. However this is a real scientific instrument which you can exploit even if you have become an expert working at high resolutions.
The ALPY's resolving power of 600 allows it to cover all the visible domain and more (from 375nm in the near UV to 750 nm in the near IR). You will be able to distinguish many details in the spectral profile. The resolution is 1nm.
The dispersing element used in the ALPY is a grism. That is the combination of a prism and a diffraction grating (600t/mm). The slit allows it to isolate a fringe of the light source. This brings several advantages;
- We can isolate the object we wish to observe
- We can work on extended objects (nebulae, planets)
- We can make spectra of a calibration light
Thanks to the slit, the quality of the spectrum becomes independent from observing conditions (seeing, problems of telescope tracking, and so on). The ALPY 600 is delivered with several exchangeable slits to cover different situations. The compactness and the lightness of the ALPY 600 make it compatible with small instruments (telescope from 80mm of diameter), on modest mounts. Spectra of faint objects can be collected in only a few minutes (or even a few seconds) of exposure time.
The optics of ALPY 600 was specially designed to give the best image quality of the whole visible domain, with a large aperture (F/4). You will be surprised with the quantity of information you can extract from a so small spectroscope! This quality is such as numerous scientific publications are based on observations with the ALPY 600!
ALPY 600 is robust, almost unsensitive to temperature variations, and requires little tuning. It makes a spectroscope easy to use, and simple to get spectacular results. Getting results are further simplified thanks to integration with the free Shelyak Demetra software. This software helps you during your observations from acquisition up to the reduction of data.
ALPY 600 is modular and can be used of various forms;
- Visually (during daylight)
- With a Digital camera (DSLR) or CCD camera, on a table or behind a telescope
The possible configurations are numerous, and the interfaces are standard. The Alpy 600 can completed by two optional modules: the guiding module and the calibration module. The purpose of the guiding module is to visualize the telescope field of view, and thus to select, then to track the star you want to observe. The calibration module allows to make spectra of flats and calibration lamp (Argon-Neon), to make a quick and precise wavelength calibration of your spectra. To do spectras acquisition with the Alpy 600 and process them, Demetra software has been developed to allow you to perform all of these tasks easily.
