OAO-2 observations of the zodiacal light

Photometric measurements of the night sky brightness have been obtained at twelve wavelengths between 1000 A and 4300 A from above the earth's atmosphere. A preliminary analysis of the data reveals a component of the sky brightness with ecliptic symmetry and an intensity distribution similar to that of the zodiacal light. The ultraviolet spectrum of the zodiacal light can be closely approximated with a two component model in which one component has an albedo proportional to the wavelength lambda and the other component has a scattering efficiency proportional to lambda to lbe minus 19 power.