  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
Lyman-alpha (DLA) line at the redshift of the interloper with an HI column
density of log N(HI) = 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 DLA lines seen at
higher redshift, and fuels the speculation that LSB galaxies are a major
contributor to that population of absorbers.
