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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 08 February 2017
We present an all-sky star count model at 12 μm based upon the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) observations that characterize both the 12 μm luminosity function and the geometrical parameters of the galaxy. The model includes five galactic components: the bulge, the spheroid, the exponential disk, the spiral arms, and the molecular ring. The distribution of the brighter IRAS sources along the galactic plane required that the model include sources within the spiral arms and the molecular ring to produce an acceptable fit. We do not support the conclusion of Habing (1988) that the galactic disk ends just outside the solar circle, and do not require a thick disk to match the observations. We suggest that Habing's sample includes IRAS sources in the spiral arms but his model for the galactic disk does not include this critical component.