Star Vega could have solar system like Earth's Vega, the second brightest star in the northern night sky, may have a family of planets similar to the sun's, say scientists. Astronomers have discovered evidence of an asteroid belt surrounding the star like the one that circles the Sun. If confirmed, it means Vega is likely to have a solar system containing rocky planets similar to Earth or Mars. In our own system, the asteroid belt beyond the orbit of Mars is maintained by the gravity of rocky planets and gas giants such as Jupiter and Saturn. Scientists believe Vega has an inner asteroid belt and outer belt of debris separated by a gap. The same pattern is seen around the sun. A distant band of rock and ice, called the Kuiper belt, orbits the sun near the edge of the solar system. Astronomer Dr Kate Su, from the Steward Observatory at the Arizona University in the US, said: "Our findings echo recent results showing multiple-planet systems are common beyond our sun." Vega, known as the Harp Star, is the brightest star in the constellation Lyra. It is relatively close at a distance of just 25 light years, and around 600 million years old - much younger than the sun. The discovery, presented at the American Astronomical Society's annual meeting in California, was made using the Herschel and Spitzer space telescopes. Detectors on the telescopes measured infrared light emitted by warm and cold bands of dust around the star. Scientists believe there are hidden planets between the bands free of dust. Vega may have several undetected planets up to the size of Jupiter.