Scientists Discover A New Solar System

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PHOTO CAPTION - AFP PHOTO David A. Hardy/Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council

LONDON - British astronomers believe they have discovered another solar system only 25 light years away that bears a remarkable likeness to ours.

The scientists said they found evidence that planets circling the star Vega have some similarities to Earth, the BBC reported.

The report by astronomers from the Royal Observatory in Edinburgh, is published in The Astrophysical Journal.

One of the brightest stars in the sky, Vega is three times larger than the Sun and much younger at 350 million years old.

The scientists said Vega has a disc of dust circling it and at least one large planet that could sweep debris aside allowing smaller worlds like Earth to exist.

Images of Vega's environment confirm the presence of a disc of very cold dust in orbit. Scientists speculate a structure seen in the dust could be a Neptune-like planet.

The wide orbit of that planet means there is plenty of room for smaller planets similar to the Earth.

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