Coronal structure inferred from remote sensing observations

Remote-sensing observations of the Sun and inner heliosphere are reviewed to appraise our understanding of the mix of mechanisms that heat the corona and accelerate the solar wind. An assessment of experimental uncertainties and the basic assumptions needed to translate measurables into physical models, reveals very large fundamental uncertainties in our knowledge of coronal structure near the Sun. We develop a time-dependent, filamentary model of the extended corona that is consistent with a large number of remote sensing observations of the solar atmosphere and the solar wind. copyright 1997 American Institute of Physics