LOW-MASS STARS IN THE SPHEROID OF OUR GALAXY

The number of stars in the spheroid of our Galaxy appears to increase steeply for smaller masses, with no evidence of a turnover in a simple power-law distribution down to 0.14 M., the limit of detectability. The measured rotation curve of the Galaxy at the Sun suggests that the mass function cannot be extended beyond 0.05 M., in which case low-mass stars fall an order of magnitude short of being able to supply the galactic dark matter.