Comparing eclipse observations of the 2008 August 1 solar corona with an MHD model prediction

Context. The structure of the white-light and emission solar coronas and their MHD modelling are the context of our work. Aims. A comparison is made between the structure of the solar corona as observed during the 2008 August 1 total eclipse from Mongolia and that predicted by an MHD model. Methods. The model has an improved energy formulation, including the effect of coronal heating, conduction of heat parallel to the magnetic field, radiative losses, and acceleration by Alfvén waves. Results. The white-light corona, which was visible up to 20 solar radii, was of an intermediate type with well-pronounced helmet streamers situated above a chain of prominences at position angles of 48, 130, 241, and 322 degrees. Two polar coronal holes, filled with a plethora of thin polar plumes, were observed. High-quality pictures of the green (530.3 nm, Fe XIV) corona were obtained with the help of two narrow-passband filters (centered at the line itself and the vicinity of 529.1 nm background), with a FWHM of 0.15 nm. Conclusions. The large-scale shape of both the white-light and green corona was found to agree well with that predicted by the model. In this paper we describe the morphological properties of the observed corona, and how it compares with that predicted by the model. A more detailed analysis of the quantitative properties of the corona will be addressed in a future publication.