The extragalactic component of the ultraviolet sky brightness

The surface brightness of the night sky has been measured at 12 wavelengths in the 1250-4300 A spectral region with the stellar photometers on OAO-2. From observations at high galactic latitudes it is possible to set upper limits on the brightness of the extragalactic sky background at several wavelengths. In the wavelength range 1420-1680 A the extragalactic background is not greater than 1.2 x 10 to the minus eight power cm/2 s/1 ster/1 A/1. Observations of near-by galaxies with OAO-2 are used to predict the background due to extragalactic nebulae. It is shown that instruments which are an order of magnitude more sensitive would be required to detect the extragalactic component of the light of the night sky.