The Pioneer Venus Orbiter Ultraviolet Spectrometer (PVOUVS) measured the OI 1304 Å intensity over a range of spacecraft altitudes (150 to 300 km at periapsis). The atomic oxygen density is determined from the dayglow by comparing the data to the intensities predicted in a Monte Carlo model which correctly simulates the partial frequency redistribution of photons in a non‐isothermal, absorbing atmosphere. The analysis yields atomic oxygen densities consistent with the in situ determinations of the PV Bus Neutral Mass Spectrometer and PVO Neutral Mass Spectrometer and supports recent laboratory measurements of the electron impact excitation cross section of atomic oxygen. Furthermore, the potential inherent in ultraviolet remote sensing for determining the global distribution of atomic oxygen is demonstrat