In this paper, an array wire-to-wire surface dielectric barrier discharge is reported, and discharge plasma with a relative large area is excited by a high-voltage nanosecond pulse power in atmospheric air. The high-voltage and ground electrodes are made of cylindrical metal, and the discharge structure is composed of 20 groups of alternately arranged array high-voltage and ground electrodes covered with dielectric tubes. The applied voltage and total discharge current are measured by high-voltage and current probes, and displayed on oscilloscope. And the discharge current is calculated. The optical emission spectra within the wavelengths of 300～440 and 766～778 nm are measured by fiber, spectrometer, and CCD, namely, the spectra of N2 (C3Πu→B3Πg) including the bands of Δν=+1, 0, -1, -2, -3, N+2(B2Σ+u→X2Σ+g), N2 (B3Πg→A3Σ+u), and O (3p5P→3s5S2). The emission intensities are calculated, and every peak of N2 (C3Πu→B3Πg) and four active species are compared. The effects of pulse peak voltage on the emission intensities are also investigated. The second and third diffraction spectra are measured and compared with the original spectra of N2 (C3Πu→B3Πg, 0-0) in the aspects of rotational bands and background spectra. The ratios of peak value between the second diffraction and original spectra of N2 (C3Πu→B3Πg, 0-0) are calculated. The rotational and vibrational temperatures are simulated and compared by N2 (C3Πu→B3Πg, Δν=+1, 0, -1, -2) and N+2 (B2Σ+u→X2Σ+g, 0-0), and the effects of pulse peak voltage are investigated. According to the applied voltage and calculated discharge current, the discharge current of array wire-to-wire surface dielectric barrier discharge is about 75 A in both positive and negative directions, when pulse peak voltage is 22 kV and pulse repetition rate is 150 Hz. The optical emission spectra show that the main active species of discharge plasma are N2 (C3Πu→B3Πg), N+2(B2Σ+u→X2Σ+g), N2 (B3Πg→A3Σ+u), and O (3p5P→3s5S2) during measured ranges. During the range of 22～36 kV of pulse peak voltage, the emission intensity of N2 (C3Πu→B3Πg, 0-0) keeps the highest, then it is N2 (B3Πg→A3Σ+u), and those of N+2(B2Σ+u→X2Σ+g) and O (3p5P→3s5S2) are relatively weak. And when the pulse peak voltage increases, the emission intensities of all vibrational peaks of N2 (C3Πu→B3Πg), N+2(B2Σ+u→X2Σ+g), N2 (B3Πg→A3Σ+u), and O (3p5P→3s5S2) increase. Comparing the original, second, and third diffraction spectra of N2 (C3Πu→B3Πg, 0-0), it is found that the rotational bands of the second and third diffraction are clearer than those of original spectra, and the backgrounds of third diffraction are more intense than those of second diffraction, which means that it is more suitable to simulate rotational temperatures by the second diffraction spectra of N2 (C3Πu→B3Πg). Comparing the simulated vibrational temperatures, N2 (C3Πu→B3Πg, Δν=-2) is the most suitable one amongthe four bands of N2 (C3Πu→B3Πg, Δν=+1, 0, -1, -2), and rotational temperatures simulated by N+2 (B2Σ+u→X2Σ+g, 0-0) are higher than those of N2 (C3Πu→B3Πg, Δν=-2) by 10～15 K. Besides, when the pulse peak voltage increases, the rotational temperatures simulated by N+2 (B2Σ+u→X2Σ+g, 0-0) and N2 (C3Πu→B3Πg, Δν=-2) both increase, and the vibrational temperatures simulated by N2 (C3Πu→B3Πg, Δν=-2) decrease.