REDSHIFTS OF GALAXIES CLOSE TO BRIGHT QSO LINES OF SIGHT

To expand the known number of low-redshift galaxies lying close to bri ght (V < 17.2) QSO lines of sight, we have identified 24 galaxies with in 11 arcmin of nine QSOs which have been observed with the Hubble Spa ce Telescope (HST). Galaxies are found between redshifts of 0.0114 and 0.145 and lie between 39 and 749 h(-1) kpe from QSO sightlines. Knowi ng the redshifts of these galaxies has already proved important in und erstanding results from HST programmes designed to search for UV absor ption lines from low-redshift galaxies, and will enable future observa tions to probe the haloes of these galaxies in detail.