The Multi-channel Solar Spectrograph (MSS) at Purple Mountain Observatory (PMO) was initially established in 1976. Since 1986, we have made some improvements to the MSS step by step, and now we have developed a Multi-channel Infrared Solar Spectrograph (MISS) that works at HeI 10830? and CaII 8542? and Ha (6563?). The original spectrograph can be used to observe simultaneously solar activity at 9 wave bands including CaII H and K line, MgI b line, HeI D3 line and Ha through H-infinity. The newly developed MISS works in three wavelengths, i.e. HeI 10830, CaII 8542 and Ha.
In 1998, we replaced plates in the original system with Pulnix TM-860 CCDs and placed an image reducer before each CCD in order to match the CCD pixel size. The dispersions for HeI 10830, CaII 8542 and Ha of the new imaging solar spectrograph are 0.0693?, 0.0767? and 0.0754? per CCD pixel respectively, and each vertical CCD pixel represents 0.34" on the solar disk (Li et al., 1999).
We replaced the TM-860 CCDs with Apogee AP7p grade 1 scientific CCDs and removed the image reducers. In the latest system, the dispersions for HeI 10830, CaII 8542 and Ha are 0.04776?, 0.05113? and 0.05453? per CCD pixel respectively, and each vertical CCD pixel represents 0.375" on the solar disk (Li et al., 2002). The slit-jaw photographic system has also been updated to a CCD system, which takes image of the Sun at Ha and has a field of view of 192" x 144" . The observation data are all digitized.
We can obtain the line center and off-band intensities of the three lines and the intensities of continua adjacent to these lines through the new instrument. We can also acquire velocity maps and line profiles. Therefore, it is specially suitable for two-dimensional (2D) spectroscopic observations of solar flares and active regions. We carry out scanning observation by rotating the second mirror of the coelostat system.