Ground-based & HST images of the nearby galaxy SBS 1543+593 ( z = 0.009 ) show it to be a Low Surface Brightness ( LSB ) galaxy with a central surface brightness of \mu _ { B } ( 0 ) \ > = 23.2 mag arcsec ^ { -2 } and scale length 0.9 h ^ { -1 } kpc , values typical for the local LSB galaxy population .
The galaxy lies directly in front of the QSO HS 1543+5921 ( z = 0.807 ) ; an HST STIS spectrum of the quasar reveals a damped Ly \alpha ( DLy \alpha ) line at the redshift of the interloper with an H I column density of \log N ( H I ) \ > = \ > 20.35 , as well as several low-ionization metal lines with strengths similar to those found in the Milky Way interstellar medium .
Our data show that LSB galaxies are certainly able to produce the DLy \alpha lines seen at higher redshift , and fuels the speculation that LSB galaxies are a major contributor to that population of absorbers .