Analysis of extreme-ultraviolet observations of a polar coronal hole

Emission gradient curves for extreme-ultraviolet resonance lines of lithiumlike ions have been constructed from spectroheliograms of a northern polar coronal hole observed on August 14, 1973, with the Harvard experiment on Skylab. An emission-measure analysis indicates both reduced density and coronal temperature in the coronal hole. The boundary geometry of the coronal hole is determined, and a temperature-density model that is consistent with the observed intensities is constructed. The model gives a conductive flux of 60,000 erg/sq cm per sec at 1.03 solar radii. The boundary geometry and density distribution are combined with typical solar-wind parameters at the earth to determine an outflow velocity of 15 km/s at 1.08 solar radii.