  I have used the Hipparcos Input Catalog, together with Kurucz model stellar
atmospheres, and information on the strength of the interstellar extinction, to
create a model of the expected intensity and spectral distribution of the local
interstellar ultraviolet radiation field, under various assumptions concerning
the albedo a of the interstellar grains. (This ultraviolet radiation field is
of particular interest because of the fact that ultraviolet radiation is
capable of profoundly affecting the chemistry of the interstellar medium.) By
comparing my models with the observations, I am able to conclude that the
albedo a of the interstellar grains in the far ultraviolet is very low, perhaps
a = 0.1. I also advance arguments that my present determination of this albedo
is much more reliable than any of the many previous (and conflicting)
ultraviolet interstellar grain albedo determinations. Beyond this, I show that
the ultraviolet background radiation that is observed at high galactic
latitudes must be extragalactic in origin, as it cannot be backscatter of the
interstellar radiation field.
