From the impossibly-distant chaos of star-forming hydrogen clouds to a hybrid solar eclipse hanging just above the Kenyan savannah, the winners of the Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition capture the wonders of the Universe from (relatively) near and (relativistically) far away.

The winning shot by British photographer James Woodend shows the Northern Lights reflected in Jökulsarlon lagoon in Iceland; a double-curve of lime green caused by electrically charged particles from the Sun streaking through the atmosphere.

Other shots show Earth from the brink of space ('Moon Balloon' by Patrick Cullis, taken 87,000 feet above the ground) and the firey furred-looking surface of the Sun, twisting under magnetic forces (the winner in the Solar System category by Alexandra Hart).

Chris Bramley, a judge for the competition and editor of the BBC Sky at Night Magazine, said: “This year two things stood out for me while judging: the record-breaking number of 2,500 entries from a truly global community of astrophotographers, and the staggering quality of the images – it was regularly hard to believe that many were taken from the surface of the Earth and not a space telescope orbiting our planet.”

Click through the gallery below to see more of these awe-inspiring images.

In pictures: Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2014 Show all 24 1 /24 In pictures: Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2014 In pictures: Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2014 'Aurora over a Glacier Lagoon' by James Woodend (UK) - Earth & Space category- Overall Winner In pictures: Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2014 'Wind Farm Star Trails' by Matt James (Australia) - Earth & Space category- Runner Up In pictures: Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2014 'Venus-Lunar Occultation' by O Chul Kwon (South Korea) - Earth & Space category - Highly Commended In pictures: Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2014 'Moon Balloon' by Partrick Cullis (USA) - Earth & Space category - Highly Commended In pictures: Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2014 'Totality From Above the Clouds' by Catalin Beldea (Romania) - Earth & Space category - Highly Commended In pictures: Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2014 'Hybrid Solar Eclipse 2' by Eugen Kamenew (Germany) - People & Space category - Winner In pictures: Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2014 'Lost Souls' by Julie Fletcher (Australia) - People & Space category - Runner Up In pictures: Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2014 'Ripples in a Pond' by Alexandra Hart (UK) - Our Solar System category - Winner In pictures: Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2014 'Best of the Craters' by George Tarsoudis (Greece) - Our Solar System category - Runner Up In pictures: Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2014 'Calcium K Eruption' by Stephen Ramsden (USA) - Our Solar System category - Highly Commended In pictures: Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2014 'Diamond and Rubies' by Tunç Tezel (Turkey) - Our Solar System category - Highly Commended In pictures: Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2014 'Solar Nexus' by Alexandra Hart (UK) - Our Solar System category - Highly Commended In pictures: Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2014 'The Horsehead Nebula (IC 434)' by Shishir & Shashank Dholakia (USA) aged 15 - Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year (under-16s) category - Winner In pictures: Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2014 'New Year over Cypress Mountain' by Emmett Sparling (Canada) aged 15 - Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year (under-16s) category - Runner Up In pictures: Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2014 'Moon behind the Trees' by Emily Jeremy (UK) aged 12 - Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year (under-16s) category - Highly Commended In pictures: Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2014 'The Martian Territory' by Olivia Williamson (UK) aged 10 - Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year (under-16s) category - Highly Commended In pictures: Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2014 'The Heart Nebula (IC 1805)' by Shishir & Shashank Dholakia (USA) aged 15 - Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year (under-16s) category - Highly Commended In pictures: Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2014 'NGC 3718' by Mark Hanson (USA) - Robotic Scope category - Winner In pictures: Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2014 'The Horsehead Nebula (IC 434)' by Bill Snyder (USA) - Deep Space category - Winner In pictures: Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2014 'The Helix Nebula (NGC 7293)' by David Fitz-Henry (Australia) - Deep Space category - Runner Up In pictures: Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2014 'At the feet of Orion (NGC 1999) - Full Field' by Marco Lorenzi (China) - Deep Space category - Highly Commended In pictures: Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2014 'California vs Pleiades' by Rogelio Bernal Andreo (USA) - Deep Space category - Highly Commended In pictures: Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2014 'Veil Nebula Detail (IC 1340)' by J.P. Metsävainio (Finland) - Deep Space category - Highly Commended In pictures: Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2014 'Coastal Stairways' by Chris Murphy (New Zealand) - Special Prizes: The Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer category - Winner

2014 Winner's list in full:

Earth and Space

James Woodend (UK) with Aurora over a Glacier Lagoon (Winner and Overall Winner)

Matt James (Australia) with Wind Farm Star Trails (Runner-up)

Patrick Cullis (USA) with Moon Balloon (Highly Commended)

Catalin Beldea (Romania) with Totality from Above the Clouds (Highly Commended)

O Chul Kwon (South Korea) with Venus-Lunar Occultation (Highly Commended)

Deep Space

Bill Snyder (USA) with Horsehead Nebula (IC 434) (Winner)

David Fitz-Henry (Australia) with The Helix Nebula (NGC 7293) (Runner-Up)

J.P Metsävainio (Finland) with Veil Nebula Detail (IC 1340) (Highly Commended)

Rogelio Bernal Andreo (USA) with California vs Pleiades (Highly Commended)

Marco Lorenzi (China) with At the Feet of Orion (NGC 1999) – Full Field (Highly Commended)

Our Solar System

Alexandra Hart (UK) with Ripples in a Pond (Winner)

George Tarsoudis (Greece) with Best of the Craters (Runner-Up)

Alexandra Hart (UK) with Solar Nexus (Highly Commended)

Stephen Ramsden (USA) with Calcium K Eruption (Highly Commended)

Tunç Tezel (Turkey) with Diamond and Rubies (Highly Commended)

Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year

Shishir & Shashank Dholakia (USA, aged 15) with The Horsehead Nebula (IC 434) (Winner)

Emmett Sparling (Canada, aged 15) with New Year over Cypress Mountain (Runner-up)

Olivia Williamson (UK, aged 10) with The Martian Territory (Highly Commended)

Shishir & Shashank Dholakia (USA, aged 15) with The Heart Nebula (IC 1805) (Highly Commended)

Emily Jeremy (UK, aged 12) with Moon Behind the Trees (Highly Commended)

Special Prize: People and Space

Eugen Kamenew (Germany) with Hybrid Solar Eclipse 2 (Winner)

Julie Fletcher (Australia) with Lost Souls (Runner-up)

Special Prize: Sir Patrick Moore prize for Best Newcomer

Chris Murphy (New Zealand) with Coastal Stairways (Winner)

Robotic Scope Image of the Year