Ultraviolet absorption by interstellar gas at large distances from the galactic plane

Eighteen high-dispersion IUE spectra of six stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud, three stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud, and two foreground stars were analyzed. Fourteen spectra cover the wavelengths 1150-2000 A, and four cover 1900-3200 A; the velocity resolution is about 25 km/s. All the Magellanic Cloud spectra exhibit very strong interstellar absorption lines due to a wide range of ionization stages at galactic velocities and at velocities associated with the IMC or SMC. The observational results are related to current theoretical ideas about the origin and physical state of gaseous galactic halos; the analysis is restricted to the Milky Way absorption features.