Ashley Strickland - Writer
Ashley Strickland
Writer
Ashley is a space and science writer for CNN.
Latest
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Don’t miss the Draconid meteor shower, a celestial event that won’t take all nightOct 8, 2026See up to 10 meteors per hour during the Draconids, peaking Thursday night into Friday morning. -
A storied NASA observatory could be weeks away from falling to Earth after failed rescue attemptSep 30, 2026A daring mission failed to rescue NASA’s Swift telescope, and the nearly 22-year-old observatory will soon burn up in Earth’s atmosphere. -
• Live UpdatesLive Updates SpaceX Starship splashes down after reaching orbit in unprecedented test flightSep 29, 2026SpaceX’s Starship rocket, the most powerful rocket ever made, made it to orbit for the first time despite engine trouble. -
The harvest moon pairs up with Saturn for a 2-for-1 celestial displaySep 25, 2026Kick off the first fall weekend with a glimpse of a full harvest moon and a chance to spot Saturn. -
Lunar orbiter spots ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ new crater on the moonSep 21, 2026The moon’s surface experienced a violent encounter with a comet or an asteroid — and has a massive battle scar to prove it. -
Earliest known drug use may have trapped prehistoric foragers in a ‘vicious cycle’Sep 12, 2026Prehistoric humans may have used whole betel nuts for pain relief thousands of years before chasing a high became popular, according to a new study. -
Scientists look inside the ‘spider’ growing on the tip of a rare viper’s tailSep 11, 2026The spider-tailed horned viper lures prey by wiggling an arachnid-shaped growth on its tail. Scientists finally looked inside the appendage. -
The closest planet to our sun is shrinking. Here’s what that meansSep 10, 2026Mercury may be shrinking even more than previously believed, according to new research. -
The BepiColombo mission begins its arrival at Mercury after nearly 8 yearsSep 3, 2026After nearly eight years, a mission to reveal Mercury’s secrets is arriving at its destination. But what lies ahead will not be easy. -
Tasmanian tiger skull shows it was different than any living mammalSep 2, 2026The Tasmanian tiger, which went extinct almost a century ago, had a rare combination for a carnivorous mammal: a huge skull and a lethal snap. -
Digital reconstruction reveals the face of ‘Little Foot,’ a nearly 4 million-year-old human ancestorSep 1, 2026Little Foot, a 3.67 million-year-old human ancestor, is getting a digital facial reconstruction after her skull was crushed in a cave. -
Some Mount Vesuvius victims suffered slowly and one victim’s brain turned to glass, new research saysAug 31, 2026The remains of those who became trapped by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius tell a story of tragic suffering, according to a new analysis of their bones. -
NASA launches ‘discovery machine’ to unravel the invisible universeAug 30, 2026NASA’s new observatory, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, has lifted off to solve the universe’s enduring mysteries. -
An encounter with NASA’s game-changing ‘starglasses’Aug 29, 2026Go inside the room where a space telescope’s groundbreaking instrument comes to life, meet scuffling marmots and more in this week’s Wonder Theory newsletter. -
• Video 2:27Video It looks like a car engine. Scientists think it could uncover the ‘invisible universe’ 2:27Aug 28, 2026NASA’s new Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is about to explore the cosmos like never before, with the help of a bizarre-looking instrument that tackles the problem of starlight. -
A violent impact might have changed Mars’ potato-shaped moonAug 20, 2026A single asteroid strike likely reshaped Mars’ moon Deimos, creating its massive polar crater and a global dust layer.
