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Seen from space: Gulf oil spill

NASA satellites have tracked the spread of the oil pouring into the Gulf since BP's Deepwater Horizon exploded.

Charles Cooper Former Executive Editor / News
Charles Cooper was an executive editor at CNET News. He has covered technology and business for more than 25 years, working at CBSNews.com, the Associated Press, Computer & Software News, Computer Shopper, PC Week, and ZDNet.
Charles Cooper

As the BP oil spill enters its 63rd day, word comes that the worst-case scenario of the amount of oil gushing from the damaged well, has climbed to 100,000 barrels a day. Initially, BP put the daily tally from the Deepwater Horizon at around 1,000 barrels.

Journalists have reported on the spread of the spill in print and video. As the anecdotal evidence of a mounting environmental disaster accumulates, the challenge of quantifying the enormity of the problem is made that much harder by the piecemeal nature of this developing story.

But now, several hundred miles above the earth, NASA satellites have been tracking the spread oil slick as it approaches the Louisiana coast and you can find many of those eye-opening photographs in our image gallery below.

This story was originally posted at CBSNews.com.