Extinction in the Galaxy from surface brightnesses of ESO-LV galaxies

A new method for the determination of the extinction in the Galaxy is proposed. The method uses surface brightnesses of external galaxies in the B and R-bands. The observational data have been taken from the ESO-LV galaxy catalog. As a first application of our model we derive the ratio of R-band to B-band extinction. We introduce two methods for computing the ratio which give: 0.62 +/- 0.05 (the first method) and 0.64 +/- 0.06 (the second method) which is in agreement with the recent literature value of 0.61. This agreement confirms the validity and efficiency of our model and is an independent verification for the standard value of the "total to selective extinction". The method of extinction determination introduced in this paper will be explored in subsequent publication.