Observations of Highly-ionized Interstellar Iron

The spectra of 24 stars, including 5 at distances d 200 pc, have been observed in the regions of the coronal Fe X lambda 6375 and Fe X lambda 5303 lines at detection limits near an equivalent width of 1 mA in the best cases. In general agreement with predictions based on a multi-phase model of the interstellar medium, no absorption which can be attributed to Fe X or Fe X4 ions in hot interstellar gas emitting the soft X-ray background is seen in any of these spectra, except for two. Toward lambda Cephei an absorption line near lambda 6375 is measured with an equivalent width of 8.1 + or - 2 mA, a width corresponding to 20 + or - 5 km/sec or a temperature T or = (0.5 + or - 0.25) x 10 to the 6th power K, and, if it is caused by Fe X ions, a radial velocity of -355 km/sec. On that hypothesis, the interstellar gas constitutes at least 63% of the column density of gas along this light path.