Nilo-Castellón, J. L.J. L.Nilo-CastellónBaravalle, L.L.BaravalleMinniti, D.D.MinnitiAlonso, M. V.M. V.AlonsoGalaz, G.G.GalazVillalon, C.C.VillalonHinojosa, R.R.HinojosaSchmidt, E. O.E. O.SchmidtValotto, C.C.ValottoRivera, E. G.E. G.RiveraValdivia-Rojas, V.V.Valdivia-RojasAlvarez-Rocha, D.D.Alvarez-RochaMarchant Cortés, P.P.Marchant CortésCross, N. J. G.N. J. G.CrossMario Soto Vicencio2026-10-082026-10-082026-09Nilo-Castellón, J. L.; Baravalle, L.; Minniti, D.; Alonso, M. V.; Galaz, G.; Villalon, C.; Hinojosa, R.; Schmidt, E. O.; Valotto, C.; Soto, M.; Rivera, E. G.; Valdivia-Rojas, V.; Alvarez-Rocha, D.; Marchant Cortés, P.; Cross, N. J. G. (2026-09). Discovery of a low-surface-brightness galaxy in the Zone of Avoidance using VVVX Deepstack imaging. Astronomy & Astrophysics, 713, L3. https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/2026608140004-63611432-0746https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12740/24939We report the discovery of VVVX J080705.96−273823.6, the first low-surface-brightness galaxy candidate identified in the Zone of Avoidance by the VISTA Variables in the Vía Láctea eXtended Survey (VVVX). The source was detected serendipitously during a visual inspection of the new Deepstack images, a set of reconstructed mosaics generated through an updated reprocessing. The associated stacking procedure that significantly improves both the depth and spatial uniformity of the original survey images. First-order morpho-photometric parameters were obtained using SExtractor in combination with PSF models derived with PSFEx , applied to star-subtracted images to minimize foreground contamination. The final structural properties of the galaxy were derived from PSF-convolved modelling of azimuthally averaged surface-brightness profiles in the J , H , and K s bands using exponential, Sérsic, and composite models. The galaxy candidate is clearly detected in the three available near-infrared bands. The azimuthally averaged profiles are consistently described by a disk-dominated (exponential) model in all three bands, with exponential scale lengths in the range h ∼ 32–36″ and extinction-corrected central surface brightness values spanning μ 0 ≃ 19.82–22.35 mag arcsec −2 . The J band gives the best-constrained profile; H and K s show the same behaviour with larger uncertainties. The projected proximity to the galaxies ESO 494−25 and ESO 494−26 raises the possibility of a physical association. Both ESO galaxies have radial velocities consistent with distances of ∼11–12 Mpc. If VVVX J080705.96−273823.6 were located at the same distance, its characteristic exponential scale length of h ≃ 34″ would correspond to ∼1.8–2.0 kpc, consistent with the range of scale lengths observed in nearby LSB disk galaxies. However, in the absence of a spectroscopic redshift, this association remains tentative. This discovery demonstrates that the new VVVX Deepstack products can reveal faint diffuse galaxies at low Galactic latitudes, opening a path toward a more complete census of the obscured nearby Universe.http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, PhenomenaStellar, planetary, and galactic studiesAstrophysical Phenomena and ObservationsArticulohttps://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202660814