2002A&A...381..566W

We present Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) observations of molecular hydrogen (H₂) gas observed at a high-velocity of V_LSR=+66km/s towards the star HD 47240 which lies just behind the Monoceros Loop Supernova Remnant at a distance of ∼1800pc. These absorption features have been detected in six lines of the J=3 rotational level, with an equivalent molecular hydrogen column density of logN(H₂)=14.10±0.12cm^–2. The observed data are best fit with a single excitation temperature, T_ex of ∼1000K, which when comparised to temperatures generally found for low J-levels is unusually high for interstellar H₂. The molecular fraction in this HV cloud has a very low value of logf=-4.5±0.25, which is similar to that found for HV clouds in the galactic halo.