A team of astronomers have studied a distant galaxy and found evidence that it contains little, if any, dark matter, according to a paper published this month in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. The confusion is that scientists didn't previously think that would be possible.

The galaxy, AGC 114905, is about 250 million light-years away and around the size of the Milky Way. It’s also much more diffuse than the Milky Way, containing about a thousand times fewer stars. According to theoretical models, gas-rich ultra-diffuse galaxies like AGC 114905 should be held together by dark matter, an unseen type of matter that’s thought to make up most of the universe.

Pavel Mancera Piña and his co-authors previously observed AGC 114905 and five other ultra-diffuse galaxies, finding little indication of dark matter among them. After those findings were published, Mancera Piña’s team then took measurements of AGC 114905, the most extreme of the six galaxies, for 40 hours with the Very Large Array, an observatory that allows for higher resolution data. They found that the movement of the galaxy’s gasses can be explained by regular matter, without the need for dark matter.

"This is, of course, what we thought and hoped for because it confirms our previous measurements," said Mancera Piña in a statement. "But now the problem remains that the theory predicts that there must be dark matter in AGC 114905, but our observations say there isn't. In fact, the difference between theory and observation is only getting bigger."

There’s been some debate in recent years about the existence of other ultra-diffuse galaxies that seem to have little or no dark matter. Other researchers have also studied galaxies that are apparently dark matter deficient, but AGC 114905 is much more isolated, and Mancera Piña’s team say their techniques and measurements are more robust. The team says errors that would disrupt their findings, like miscalculating the angle of the galaxy, are unlikely.

Astronomers aren’t sure yet how dark matter-free galaxies could form, but further study of galaxies like AGC 114905 might help them understand more about the nature of dark matter.

Kait Sanchez is a freelance writer for IGN. Find them on Twitter @crisp_red.

A team of astronomers have studied a distant galaxy and found evidence that it contains little, if any, dark matter, according to a paper published this month in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. The confusion is that scientists didn't previously think that would be possible.

The galaxy, AGC 114905, is about 250 million light-years away and around the size of the Milky Way. It’s also much more diffuse than the Milky Way, containing about a thousand times fewer stars. According to theoretical models, gas-rich ultra-diffuse galaxies like AGC 114905 should be held together by dark matter, an unseen type of matter that’s thought to make up most of the universe.

Pavel Mancera Piña and his co-authors previously observed AGC 114905 and five other ultra-diffuse galaxies, finding little indication of dark matter among them. After those findings were published, Mancera Piña’s team then took measurements of AGC 114905, the most extreme of the six galaxies, for 40 hours with the Very Large Array, an observatory that allows for higher resolution data. They found that the movement of the galaxy’s gasses can be explained by regular matter, without the need for dark matter.

"This is, of course, what we thought and hoped for because it confirms our previous measurements," said Mancera Piña in a statement. "But now the problem remains that the theory predicts that there must be dark matter in AGC 114905, but our observations say there isn't. In fact, the difference between theory and observation is only getting bigger."

There’s been some debate in recent years about the existence of other ultra-diffuse galaxies that seem to have little or no dark matter. Other researchers have also studied galaxies that are apparently dark matter deficient, but AGC 114905 is much more isolated, and Mancera Piña’s team say their techniques and measurements are more robust. The team says errors that would disrupt their findings, like miscalculating the angle of the galaxy, are unlikely.

Astronomers aren’t sure yet how dark matter-free galaxies could form, but further study of galaxies like AGC 114905 might help them understand more about the nature of dark matter.

Kait Sanchez is a freelance writer for IGN. Find them on Twitter @crisp_red.

Spider-Man: No Way Home has officially earned over $1 billion at the global box office and has become the top-grossing film of 2021.

Tom Holland's latest adventure as Spidey reached the impressive milestone over the Christmas weekend by earning another $81.5 million domestically and $121.4 million internationally.

These numbers - which brought the domestic total of the film to $467.3 million and the international total to $587.1 million - were enough to help it secure the third-highest Christmas Day gross, 10-day gross, and Super Hero film gross of all time.

Furthermore, No Way Home has earned enough to become the second-highest grossing film of any year's December.

Alongside seeing a drop of only 57% from its opening weekend gross of $253 million, No Way Home is also tracking of ahead of Spider-Man: Far From Home by 51% and Spider-Man: Homecoming by 99% for "the same group of markets at current exchange rates."

Spider-Man: No Way Home is just the 49th film to cross $1 billion at the global box office and currently ranks at #38 just above 2019's Aladdin and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

According to Box Office Mojo, Sing 2 placed a distant second at the domestic weekend box office, bringing in $23.7 million and outperforming The Matrix Resurrections' $12 million. The fourth mainline Matrix film had the weakest domestic weekend box office opening of the franchise and fell behind The Matrix's $27.7 million, The Matrix Reloaded's $91.7 million, and The Matrix Revolutions' $48.4 million.

It's important to remember that The Matrix Resurrections is also available on HBO Max at no extra cost, while Spider-Man: No Way Home and Sing 2 are currently only playing in theaters.

Rounding out the top five this holiday weekend are The King's Man at $6.3 million and American Underdog at $6.2 million.

For more, check out our review of Spider-Man: No Way Home, our explainer of its ending and post-credits scenes, our 10 biggest WTF questions after leaving the theater, and what No Way Home means for the future of Venom.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Spider-Man: No Way Home has officially earned over $1 billion at the global box office and has become the top-grossing film of 2021.

Tom Holland's latest adventure as Spidey reached the impressive milestone over the Christmas weekend by earning another $81.5 million domestically and $121.4 million internationally.

These numbers - which brought the domestic total of the film to $467.3 million and the international total to $587.1 million - were enough to help it secure the third-highest Christmas Day gross, 10-day gross, and Super Hero film gross of all time.

Furthermore, No Way Home has earned enough to become the second-highest grossing film of any year's December.

Alongside seeing a drop of only 57% from its opening weekend gross of $253 million, No Way Home is also tracking of ahead of Spider-Man: Far From Home by 51% and Spider-Man: Homecoming by 99% for "the same group of markets at current exchange rates."

Spider-Man: No Way Home is just the 49th film to cross $1 billion at the global box office and currently ranks at #38 just above 2019's Aladdin and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

According to Box Office Mojo, Sing 2 placed a distant second at the domestic weekend box office, bringing in $23.7 million and outperforming The Matrix Resurrections' $12 million. The fourth mainline Matrix film had the weakest domestic weekend box office opening of the franchise and fell behind The Matrix's $27.7 million, The Matrix Reloaded's $91.7 million, and The Matrix Revolutions' $48.4 million.

It's important to remember that The Matrix Resurrections is also available on HBO Max at no extra cost, while Spider-Man: No Way Home and Sing 2 are currently only playing in theaters.

Rounding out the top five this holiday weekend are The King's Man at $6.3 million and American Underdog at $6.2 million.

For more, check out our review of Spider-Man: No Way Home, our explainer of its ending and post-credits scenes, our 10 biggest WTF questions after leaving the theater, and what No Way Home means for the future of Venom.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

China’s Yutu-2 rover recently sent home a photo of a mysterious cubic object on the lunar horizon, according to logs published by Our Space.

Dubbed the “Moon Cube” by delighted onlookers across the internet, the object sparked speculation about alien houses and a lunar McDonald’s. In reality, it’s almost definitely a boulder (or perhaps multiple boulders). Nevertheless, it intrigued the rover’s drivers enough that they’re steering the rover toward it to investigate.

Unfortunately for Moon Cube enthusiasts, it will take a while for Yutu-2 to reach the object. While it has a top speed of 200 meters per hour, it’s only traveled about 900 meters since it landed in January 2019. The rover takes pretty frequent naps, going dormant during the long, cold lunar nights and during lunar noons when temperatures rise. It also often stops to collect data with its various instruments, including a near-infrared imaging spectrometer and ground-penetrating radar.

A lot of meticulous planning goes into moving Yutu-2 only a few meters. Drivers on Earth study various images of the lunar surface, make 3D models, and carefully plot the path of the rover to avoid perilous craters and slopes. It will take about 2 to 3 lunar days, roughly 2 to 3 Earth months, to reach the cube.

Yutu-2 is the first rover to explore the far side of the moon. China also has a rover on Mars that landed in May 2021, joining NASA’s Perseverance rover. Perseverance landed in February 2021, bringing with it the Ingenuity copter that completed the first powered, controlled flight on Mars.

Kait Sanchez is a freelance writer for IGN. Find them on Twitter @crisp_red.

China’s Yutu-2 rover recently sent home a photo of a mysterious cubic object on the lunar horizon, according to logs published by Our Space.

Dubbed the “Moon Cube” by delighted onlookers across the internet, the object sparked speculation about alien houses and a lunar McDonald’s. In reality, it’s almost definitely a boulder (or perhaps multiple boulders). Nevertheless, it intrigued the rover’s drivers enough that they’re steering the rover toward it to investigate.

Unfortunately for Moon Cube enthusiasts, it will take a while for Yutu-2 to reach the object. While it has a top speed of 200 meters per hour, it’s only traveled about 900 meters since it landed in January 2019. The rover takes pretty frequent naps, going dormant during the long, cold lunar nights and during lunar noons when temperatures rise. It also often stops to collect data with its various instruments, including a near-infrared imaging spectrometer and ground-penetrating radar.

A lot of meticulous planning goes into moving Yutu-2 only a few meters. Drivers on Earth study various images of the lunar surface, make 3D models, and carefully plot the path of the rover to avoid perilous craters and slopes. It will take about 2 to 3 lunar days, roughly 2 to 3 Earth months, to reach the cube.

Yutu-2 is the first rover to explore the far side of the moon. China also has a rover on Mars that landed in May 2021, joining NASA’s Perseverance rover. Perseverance landed in February 2021, bringing with it the Ingenuity copter that completed the first powered, controlled flight on Mars.

Kait Sanchez is a freelance writer for IGN. Find them on Twitter @crisp_red.

While it may be the most wonderful time of the year for some, the servers at Nintendo are having some troubles as Christmas Day has, once again, brought with it a wave of new and old Switch consoles trying to purchase new games and play online.

Some of those who have unwrapped a brand-new Switch for the Holidays are being greeted by an error message from Nintendo when trying to purchase a game, browse the eShop, or even redeem a gift card.

"We are currently experiencing difficulties with our network services," Nintendo's Network Maintenance Information / Operational Status page says. "Please try again later. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause."

This outage appears to not only be impacting those using a Nintendo Switch, but also those still playing Wii U or 3DS.

Earlier this week, Nintendo warned that it was expecting its servers to be overloaded over the Christmas weekend, and encouraged those who were purchasing a Switch for a loved one to set it up in advance - which is always good advice for any new console.

However, Nintendo's warning only mentioned Nintendo Account creation and didn't mention purchasing games or otherwise. This issue is not a new one, as a similar outage affected many around the world during last year's Christmas weekend.

Hopefully these issues are resolved shortly and all the new Switch owners can soon enjoy their new system to its fullest potential. We will keep this article updated with the latest news and let our readers know when services are fully restored.

While you wait, be sure to check out our list of the Top 10 Nintendo Switch Exclusives, the best overall Nintendo Switch games, and our Nintendo Holiday Gift Guide for some last-minute ideas.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

While it may be the most wonderful time of the year for some, the servers at Nintendo are having some troubles as Christmas Day has, once again, brought with it a wave of new and old Switch consoles trying to purchase new games and play online.

Some of those who have unwrapped a brand-new Switch for the Holidays are being greeted by an error message from Nintendo when trying to purchase a game, browse the eShop, or even redeem a gift card.

"We are currently experiencing difficulties with our network services," Nintendo's Network Maintenance Information / Operational Status page says. "Please try again later. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause."

This outage appears to not only be impacting those using a Nintendo Switch, but also those still playing Wii U or 3DS.

Earlier this week, Nintendo warned that it was expecting its servers to be overloaded over the Christmas weekend, and encouraged those who were purchasing a Switch for a loved one to set it up in advance - which is always good advice for any new console.

However, Nintendo's warning only mentioned Nintendo Account creation and didn't mention purchasing games or otherwise. This issue is not a new one, as a similar outage affected many around the world during last year's Christmas weekend.

Hopefully these issues are resolved shortly and all the new Switch owners can soon enjoy their new system to its fullest potential. We will keep this article updated with the latest news and let our readers know when services are fully restored.

While you wait, be sure to check out our list of the Top 10 Nintendo Switch Exclusives, the best overall Nintendo Switch games, and our Nintendo Holiday Gift Guide for some last-minute ideas.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

MAJOR SPOILERS FOLLOW for Marvel's Hawkeye's Season 1 Finale!!!

Vincent D'Onofrio, the actor who surprised fans when his villainous character Kingpin appeared in Hawkeye, has confirmed that his character is the same one that was first introduced in Netflix and Marvel's Daredevil series.

Speaking to Screen Rant, D'Onofrio shared not only that he was playing the same character - with slight differences - in both Daredevil and Hawkeye, but also how Marvel was able to connect the dots between the two to make it happen.

"I think from my point of view, like a lot of the Avengers stuff, a lot of the MCU stuff, they tried to connect as many dots to the original canon as they can, and some dots are just not possible to connect," D'Onofrio said. "And that's what we've done with connecting to Daredevil and vice versa. There's some dots [that] are connected.

"Like in the Hawkeye show, Fisk is obviously physically stronger and can take more physical abuse. But the key to his being an interesting character, in my mind, will always be the fact that he has this emotional life that grounds him, that makes everything work, as far as I'm concerned."

D'Onofrio continued to discuss how they were able to "sell that character" to the wider MCU audience and how it was all due to keeping "him based in that emotional life."

"We can sell that character in so many facets," D'Onofrio said. "Story-wise we can sell it, if we keep him based in that emotional life. And I know that the writers, and the producers, and me, and everybody involved in the Hawkeye show, we were all on the same page about that.

"I have to say that they're very collaborative people and – not only to mention awesome people, very nice – but the producers, like I said, the writers and the directors were all just thrilled to work with so we kept along those lines. And I think that's what will continue to make the character interesting if there's anything next for me to do."

His last line is very interesting as the end of Hawkeye's first season saw Alaqua Cox's May Lopez/Echo seemingly shooting Kingpin and ending his reign of terror. However, we don't see him actually being shot as it cuts away, and that definitely leaves room for something beyond the obvious to have happened.

For those familiar with the comics, a certain storyline that we won't spoil here gives one possible option for the future of Kingpin and a way for D'Onofrio to continue playing the beloved character.

In an interview with Deadline, D'Onofrio makes it seem that even he doesn't know the true fate of Kingpin.

"I hope he didn’t die,” D’Onofrio said. “I’m with the fans, I want to keep playing this part. My hope is that we continue.”

In the same interview, D'Onofrio also opened up about getting the unexpected call from Marvel boss Kevin Feige to return to Kingpin and his shock that Daredevil ended when it did.

"I didn’t know that Daredevil was going to end when it did, I thought it was going to continue for a few more years,” D’Onofrio said. “There was a lot to explore there, there were many facets of my character to explore.”

Lastly, he was asked about Laura Barton's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Rolex watch and what it meant for the overall story. Unfortunately, he's "in the same boat" as all of us at the moment.

"I’m trying to figure it out like everyone else,” D'Onofrio admitted. “I’m in the same boat: I really need more information.”

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

MAJOR SPOILERS FOLLOW for Marvel's Hawkeye's Season 1 Finale!!!

Vincent D'Onofrio, the actor who surprised fans when his villainous character Kingpin appeared in Hawkeye, has confirmed that his character is the same one that was first introduced in Netflix and Marvel's Daredevil series.

Speaking to Screen Rant, D'Onofrio shared not only that he was playing the same character - with slight differences - in both Daredevil and Hawkeye, but also how Marvel was able to connect the dots between the two to make it happen.

"I think from my point of view, like a lot of the Avengers stuff, a lot of the MCU stuff, they tried to connect as many dots to the original canon as they can, and some dots are just not possible to connect," D'Onofrio said. "And that's what we've done with connecting to Daredevil and vice versa. There's some dots [that] are connected.

"Like in the Hawkeye show, Fisk is obviously physically stronger and can take more physical abuse. But the key to his being an interesting character, in my mind, will always be the fact that he has this emotional life that grounds him, that makes everything work, as far as I'm concerned."

D'Onofrio continued to discuss how they were able to "sell that character" to the wider MCU audience and how it was all due to keeping "him based in that emotional life."

"We can sell that character in so many facets," D'Onofrio said. "Story-wise we can sell it, if we keep him based in that emotional life. And I know that the writers, and the producers, and me, and everybody involved in the Hawkeye show, we were all on the same page about that.

"I have to say that they're very collaborative people and – not only to mention awesome people, very nice – but the producers, like I said, the writers and the directors were all just thrilled to work with so we kept along those lines. And I think that's what will continue to make the character interesting if there's anything next for me to do."

His last line is very interesting as the end of Hawkeye's first season saw Alaqua Cox's May Lopez/Echo seemingly shooting Kingpin and ending his reign of terror. However, we don't see him actually being shot as it cuts away, and that definitely leaves room for something beyond the obvious to have happened.

For those familiar with the comics, a certain storyline that we won't spoil here gives one possible option for the future of Kingpin and a way for D'Onofrio to continue playing the beloved character.

In an interview with Deadline, D'Onofrio makes it seem that even he doesn't know the true fate of Kingpin.

"I hope he didn’t die,” D’Onofrio said. “I’m with the fans, I want to keep playing this part. My hope is that we continue.”

In the same interview, D'Onofrio also opened up about getting the unexpected call from Marvel boss Kevin Feige to return to Kingpin and his shock that Daredevil ended when it did.

"I didn’t know that Daredevil was going to end when it did, I thought it was going to continue for a few more years,” D’Onofrio said. “There was a lot to explore there, there were many facets of my character to explore.”

Lastly, he was asked about Laura Barton's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Rolex watch and what it meant for the overall story. Unfortunately, he's "in the same boat" as all of us at the moment.

"I’m trying to figure it out like everyone else,” D'Onofrio admitted. “I’m in the same boat: I really need more information.”

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.