Slideshow: Tracking the Oil Spill from Space

On June 12, 2010, oil from the still-leaking Deepwater Horizon well was particularly visible across the northern Gulf of Mexico when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Aqua satellite captured this image at 1:55 p.m. Central Daylight Time. Oil appears to have reached beaches and barrier islands in Alabama and the western Panhandle of Florida.

NASA's Aqua Satellite Saw Oil Slick in Sunglint on June 10

In the image, the oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico is positioned in sunglint. In the sunglint region--where the mirror-like reflection of the Sun gets blurred into a wide, bright silvery-gray strip--differences in the texture of the water surface may be enhanced. In the thickest part of the slick, oil smooths the water, making it a better "mirror." Areas where thick oil cover the water are nearly white in this image. Additional oil may also be present.

The Different Appearances of Oil in June 7 NASA Satellite Image

Not all of the oil that is in the Gulf is visible here. The image shows regions of heavy oil where the oil smooths the surface and reflects more light than the surrounding water. Lighter concentrations and streamers are not visible.

Leaking Oil Invades Louisiana Wildlife Habitats

Multiple cameras on JPL's MISR instrument on NASA's Terra spacecraft were used to create two unique views of oil moving into Louisiana's coastal wetlands.

NASA's Terra Satellite Image of Gulf Oil Slick on May 31

Beneath scattered clouds, streaks and ribbons of oil brightened the reflection of the sun off the Gulf of Mexico in the photo-like satellite image from NASA's Terra satellite, taken on May 31, 2010.

NASA's Terra Satellites Sees Spill on May 24

Sunlight illuminated the lingering oil slick off the Mississippi Delta on May 24, 2010. Oil smoothes the ocean surface, making the Sun's reflection brighter near the centerline of the path of the satellite, and reducing the scattering of sunlight in other places.

AVIRIS Map of Part of the Louisiana Coast

NASA/JPL-Caltech/Dryden/USGS/UC Santa Barbara

AVIRIS maps like this one over the Louisiana coast will be used to provide a baseline of ecosystems and habitats that can be compared with data from future AVIRIS flights to assess the impacts of the oil spill.

Some of the AVIRIS Flight Lines From May 17, 2010

Measurements from several different AVIRIS overflights on May 17, 2010, are superimposed on a background image of the region.

NASA Satellite Spots Oil at Mississippi Delta Mouth

Jesse Allen/NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team

Oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill laps around the mouth of the Mississippi River delta in this May 24, 2010, image from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) instrument on NASA's Terra spacecraft. The oil appears silver, while vegetation is red.

NASA Keeping Eyes in the Sky on the Gulf Oil Spill, May 4

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Soichi Noguchi, Expedition 23 flight engineer, photographed the tail end of the Mississippi Delta showing the oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico on May 4, 2010. Part of the river delta and nearby Louisiana coast appear dark in the sunglint.

Smoke Plume from Burning Oil Rig in Gulf of Mexico, April 21

On April 20, 2010, an oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico left a dozen workers missing and several more critically injured and started a large fire that was churning out smoke days later. This image of the Gulf Coast and near-shore waters was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Aqua satellite on April 21.

NASA Satellite Views Massive Gulf Oil Spill

NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science

e Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) instrument on NASA's Terra spacecraft captured this image of the growing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico on May 1, 2010.

Keeping Eye on the Gulf Oil Spill, April 29

NASA/Earth Observatory/Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the University of Wisconsin's Space Science and Engineering Center MODIS Direct Broadcast system

On April 29, the MODIS image on the Terra satellite captured a wide-view natural-color image of the oil slick just off the Louisiana coast. The oil slick appears as dull gray interlocking comma shapes, one opaque and the other nearly transparent.

Oil Slick Spreads off Gulf Coast, April 25

With the Mississippi Delta on the left, the silvery swirling oil slick from the April 20 explosion and subsequent sinking of the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform is highly visible.