High resolution spectroscopy of solar activity

We describe an observing program designed to obtain high spatial resolution photographic spectra of solar active region phenomena, with time resolution as short as 6 s. The Vacuum Tower Telescope and Echelle Spectrograph at Sacramento Peak Observatory are used to make observations simultaneously in H, He D₃, Ca ii K, Mg b₁, the CN bandhead at 3883, and the magnetically-sensitive line Fe i 6302. Images reflected from the slit jaw are exposed simultaneously in white-light and H. Observations of chromospheric heating, following a high-velocity infall along an H superpenumbral filament, are presented to illustrate the capabilities of the program.Operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under contract AST 78-17292 with the National Science Foundation.