Discovery of high-ionization far-ultraviolet line emission from the interstellar medium

Diffuse, highly ionized line emission from the 1550 lines of C IV and the 1663 lines of O II was discovered on Space Shuttle mission 61-C. The emission-lines ratios are consistent with a single temperature in most directions, although there is some evidence that the emission results from gas with a nonequilibrium ionization balance and a distribution of temperatures. It is concluded that the observation of UV emission is consistent only with a galactic fountain model with a fountain having a mass flux of 6-25 solar mass/yr and a luminosity of (2.5-13) X 10 to the 40th ergs/s.