Oblique (sideways) view of the BP Oil Spill, looking west from the eastern edge of the Gulf of Mexico, taken from the International Space Station (or ISS) on May 4, 2010. The Mississippi River Delta and nearby Louisiana coast (top) appear dark in the sunlight that illuminates most of the image. The mirror-like reflection of the Sun accentuates the difference between the smooth, oily water (dark to light gray) and the rougher water of the ocean surface (silver to white). Wind and water currents have modified the spill's shape into streamers and elongated masses. Among the coastal ecosystems affected by the spill are the Chandeleur Islands (right, center).