NASA's Aqua satellite captured this image of the Gulf of Mexico on April 25, 2010, using its Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument. 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. Some of the more than $60 billion paid by BP, which operated Deepwater Horizon, will go toward restoring the barrier islands, wetlands, and oyster reefs damaged by the spill.
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Photograph courtesy NASA/MODIS Rapid Response Team
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