So by now, I'm sure we're all sufficiently sickened by the photos coming out of the Gulf.

We've seen the photos of the oil-soaked pelicans... We've seen the devastation of the marshes and wetlands... We've seen the black crude lapping at the shores of white sand beaches.

But have you seen a decent aerial photo of the entire spill? Something that would even hint at the magnitude of this disaster?

I hadn't...

So when I started searching for a complete view of the entire spill, I was left wanting. I wanted to see the whole thing. Where were the pictures to put this mess in context? After screening the major media outlets, I decided to expand my search.

I went to the EPA's site, where I was greeted with a disappointing slide show of workers kneeling down on the beach, looking puzzled — nothing I hadn't seen already.

Then I visited the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) website, where I uncovered a decent series of photos that began to tell the tale.

Here's an aerial view of a gigantic oil band:

And after spending some time digging through NOAA's website, I took a YouTube detour and eventually uncovered a grainy video from a Coast Guard flyover, apparently shot with a cell phone camera:

But neither the photos or the video offered a comprehensive view. What's more, most of the ones I was able to find were a month old. A lot has changed since then.

Same story with most of the European Space Agency (ESA) images I found. Have a look at the oily-rainbow sheen of the spill snaking through the gulf:

Still unsatisfied, I finally headed to NASA's website, hoping for some satellite shots that would reveal the magnitude of this environmental travesty. They delivered. Here's the view from NASA's Terra spacecraft showing two views of the oil moving into the coastal region, titled Leaking Oil Invades Louisiana Wildlife Habitats:

And yesterday afternoon — while I was working on this article — NASA released an updated shot of the Gulf from its Aqua Satellite.

According to NASA:

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.

Keep an eye on Green Chip Living for all the latest developments and photos of the BP/ Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Tragic events like these only strengthen our resolve for renewable energy and sustainable living.

Be Well,

Jimmy