Scientists spent a month exploring the Gulf of Mexico's deep sea habitats - and the images they brought back are astonishing

Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Gulf of Mexico 2017.

There's an otherworldly, alien world down in the depths of the Gulf of Mexico.

There's a spectacular, uncharted alien world right off the Gulf Coast, and a recent National Oceanic and Atmospheric (NOAA) expedition sought to uncover its secrets.

This past December, a NOAA team, aboard the Okeanos Explorer, conducted the first of three month-long studies of the deepest parts of the Gulf of Mexico, with the dual aim of exploring the diversity of deep-water habitats and mapping the seafloor.

Using a mix of remote-operated submersibles (ROVs), and shore-based instruments, the team brought back stunning images of previously unexplored areas.

Here's a sample of what they found in the inky depths: