The overall winners of this year’s contest were Marcel Drechsler, Xavier Strottner and Yann Sainty for this image called Andromeda, Unexpected. It shows a huge plasma arc next to the Andromeda Galaxy. Plasma is superheated matter that makes up 99 per cent of the universe. The Andromeda Galaxy is the nearest galaxy to our own Milky Way. Judge László Francsics said the image is not only ‘spectacular,’ but it’s also valuable to researchers. According to the observatory’s website, scientists from around the world are coming together to investigate the plasma arc shown here. (Image credit: Marcel Drechsler, Xavier Strottner and Yann Sainty/Royal Observatory Greenwich)