Spellbinding images of our galaxies and solar system have now been revealed, as this year’s Astronomy Photographer of the Year was announced. 

Greenwich’s Royal Observatory received more than 4,000 entries from over 64 countries, with photographers of all abilities competing to win the prestigious prize.

Shots were shortlisted across 10 different categories and include what appears to be a question mark on the Sun and even the bizarrely named Running Chicken Nebula. 

But the mesmerising ‘Andromeda, Unexpected’ bagged first prize by capturing the surprising discovery of a huge plasma arc next to the Andromeda Galaxy.

This galaxy is the closest ‘spiral system’ to our Milky Way, composed of a twisted assemblage of stars and gas. 

The mysterious plasma arc is a type of an ’emission nebula’ formed of ionised gas that emits its own light.

But no one has ever seen this, as the phenomenon is only visible in a specific oxidized state – giving off its blue colour. 

Scientists across the world are now investigating this arc to better understand its relationship to the neighbouring galaxy.

‘What you see is gigantic blue arc of ionised oxygen gas that has never been seen before,’ amateur astronomer and astrophotographer Marcel Drechsler said.

‘As a result, it could be the largest and closest such structure to us in the Universe.’

Judge László Francsics added: ‘This astrophoto is as spectacular as [it is] valuable.

‘It not only presents Andromeda in a new way, but also raises the quality of astrophotography to a higher level.’

Two 14-year-old boys from China were granted this year’s Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year award.

The pair had collaborated to capture the The Running Chicken Nebula situated around 6,500 light years away – with each lightyear equating to six trillion miles on Earth.  

Its bizarre nickname comes as some say it looks like a cosmic chicken walking through the sky.  

‘Thank you to the Greenwich judges. We’re very glad to receive this achievement as winners of the Young Competition,’ said winners Runwei Xu and Binyu Wang.

Another winner is Eduardo Schaberger Poupeau, who led the Sun category with his intriguing shot of our giant star.

This depicted a filament that’s the spitting image of a question mark on the scorching 5,600°C (10,000°F) surface.

Peter Ward’s ‘Dark Star’ was a runner-up for this category with his shot that turned the hot ball inside out.

This put the spotlight on its uneven surface, with intense solar flares erupting in the Sun’s atmosphere. 

On the flipside, a view of Mars and the moon took first place for the Moon category, while mesmerising brushstroke-shaped lights won for Aurorae.

Vikas Chander also took home the trophy for People and Space with an eerie nighttime shot of a stranded ship off the Skeleton Coast in Namibia. 

Meanwhile, James Baguley was highly commended for capturing a molecular cloud that looks identical to a howling wolf, and Angle An snapped an incredibly rare luminescent phenomenon at the Himalayas.

The Stars and Nebulae winner also made a scientific discovery of their own by snapping a previously unknown galactic nebula, now named ‘the heart of the Hydra’.

‘Once again, entrants to the Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition have conspired to make things difficult for the judges, with a flood of high-quality images covering an amazing range of targets,’ said Dr Ed Bloomer, astronomer at Royal Observatory Greenwich.

‘The highlight of this year is perhaps a number of genuine discoveries being imaged, but we’ve had wonderful efforts in every category and I’m particularly pleased to see the continued strength of our young entrants and those eligible for The Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer. 

‘It has led to some intense debate amongst the judges as we try to choose the very best of the best, but we don’t mind!’