Optical interstellar lines toward 18 stars of low reddening. III

Photoelectric scans of the interstellar D-line of Na I and the K-line of Ca II are compared with those of H I and H sub 2. Three general conclusions are drawn from the observations: (1) normal Na I/H ratios are found in 14 of the 18 cases studied, most likely due to absorption in cool, dense clouds; (2) low Na I/H ratios are observed in the direction of Gamma-Pegasus and Mu-Scorpio, implying that absorption occurs in clouds of warm (over 100 K) gas, or through extended paths of cool gas with low ionization; and (3) the absence of Na I, H I, and H sub 2 lines toward Nu-Scorpio and Sigma-Sagittarius indicates that little neutral gas is present along these light paths.