Astronomers giddy about 2nd interstellar object in 2 years

• "This is the only thing in astrophysics where you have a piece of the galaxy come to you," planetary astronomer Michele Bannister told Axios.

What's happening: Last week, scientists announced the discovery of a likely interstellar comet.

• NASA right now predicts the comet will fly about 190 million miles from the Sun during close approach in December before heading out of the solar system again.
• Unlike 'Oumuamua, the first interstellar object, this comet — C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) — will be visible for about a year, giving astronomers time to study its structure, composition and path through the galaxy.

Details: Some scientists will be focused on the comet's atmosphere, known as a coma, that is created when the object heats up as it nears the Sun. The heat causes ice on the comet to turn immediately from a solid to gas.

• Scientists hope to piece together what kinds of ice exist on the comet — and the amount — by watching how sunlight hits the coma.
• Early results from observations taken by the Gran Telescopio Canarias show that C/2019 Q4's composition may be similar to the comets seen in our solar system.
• If the comet's chemistry matches what astronomers have found in comets elsewhere in our solar system, it could indicate that the part of space where the comet formed might be similar to our solar system's chemistry.

"This, to me, has bearing on, 'Are all solar systems suitable to life?'"

Background: Scientists are hoping to compare 'Oumuamua and C/2019 Q4 to figure out just how different or similar the 2 objects coming from 2 parts of the galaxy are.

• In particular, they'll attempt to compare C/2019 Q4's shape to the odd cigar-like structure of 'Oumuamua, which looked different from anything we've yet seen in our solar system.

What's next: Some scientists hope to create a protocol for whenever the next interstellar comet is found in order to maximize their chances to observe it as soon as it's seen.

• The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, expected to come online next year, should be able to spot interstellar objects as they fly through our solar system.
• The European Space Agency's Comet Interceptor mission — expected to launch in 2028 — could intercept an interstellar comet when it's in place and ready after its expected launch in 2028.

The big picture: Even without those new tools online, catching sight of C/2019 Q4 just 2 years after seeing 'Oumuamua already deepens the mystery around just how many of these interstellar objects might be visiting our solar system.

• It's possible these objects pass through our solar system more often than scientists originally thought, but with just 2 seen so far scientists can't say whether that's definitively the case or not.
• "Maybe our understanding is different. Maybe we're just super lucky. Maybe there's a new mystery here. We don't know," space scientist Carrie Nugent told Axios.

Yes, but: Spacewalks are notorious for their complexity, so it's still possible that Koch and Meir's walk could change or be cancelled if something unexpected happens between now and October 21.

Details: The spacewalk is 1 of 5 planned to swap out batteries, with 5 others planned for later in the year to repair an astrophysics instrument on the outside of the station.

• The first spacewalk in the series is scheduled for Sunday. Koch and NASA astronaut Andrew Morgan are expected to start the walk at 7:50 a.m. ET.

Background: The spacewalk comes after NASA canceled an all-female spacewalk in March due to spacesuit availability.

• That particular issue shouldn't be a problem this time, however, with two spacesuits configured for use by the women.

The latest: New York's health commissioner announced Thursday morning that "there are no longer any active cases in New York State associated with the initial measles outbreak from October 2018."

• But the commissioner added that New York health officials remain "vigilant" and are currently investigating several other new cases that are unrelated to the outbreak that just ended.
• 1 of the new cases is a person who just returned from overseas to Rockland County, which had declared in September that its initial outbreak had officially ended. Because this new case was "imported" from someone traveling in another country, this is not considered to be part of the same outbreak.
• Several other New York cases were reported in Nassau (2), Monroe (2) and Putnam (1) counties, according to the health commissioner.
• Meanwhile, the CDC says 31 states reported 1,243 individual patients, 131 of whom were hospitalized and 65 of whom suffered complications, including pneumonia and encephalitis. No one died in the U.S.

"The end of the New York state measles outbreak is a credit to the great work by local and state health departments, community and religious leaders, and other partners. However, this outbreak is a grave reminder that we need heightened vigilance around measles as well as other vaccine preventable diseases, and we continue to address the myths and misinformation driving these outbreaks."

What they're saying: Peter Hotez, professor of pediatrics and dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, tells Axios that America's measles elimination status isn't as important as "the fact that we remain highly vulnerable" for 2 reasons.

1. There are "at least 100 geographic pockets in the U.S. where a high percentage of kids are not being vaccinated, together with measles cases now regularly imported from Europe where measles is even more widespread," Hotez says.
2. During the first and second quarter of next year, "we’ll again hit peak measles transmission season. [The] bottom line [is] nothing has really been done to combat the anti-vaccine movement in America, and we’re just as vulnerable to measles epidemics as we were this time last year."

What's next: The CDC and the Department of Health and Human Services are expected to have further information on the measles outbreak on Friday.

• The Pan American Health Organization’s regional verification commission will meet in the coming months to look over the U.S. data from this year and likely 2018 to make the final determination on the U.S.' elimination status, the CDC spokesperson said.
• PAHO declared recently that the U.K., Albania, the Czech Republic and Greece had lost their measles-free status.

Go deeper:

• Anti-vax movement targets Maine law on vaccine exemptions
• New measles cases decline in U.S., but the outbreak isn't over yet
• Measles in U.S. creeps back toward endemic status

Details: In the letter published Oct. 2 in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers reviewed lung biopsies from 17 patients, "all of whom had vaped and were suspected to have vaping-associated lung injury," the Mayo Clinic said.

• Lipids, fatty substances found in mineral oils were suspected as a possible cause of the lung injuries associated with vaping, but the researchers in this study found no evidence of this causing the tissue injury.

"While we can't discount the potential role of lipids, we have not seen anything to suggest this is a problem caused by lipid accumulation in the lungs. Instead, it seems to be some kind of direct chemical injury, similar to what one might see with exposures to toxic chemical fumes, poisonous gases and toxic agent."

Go deeper: U.S. investigates fatality from vaping as lung-related illnesses rise