I used this Google Maps image overlay to make an image comparing the size of the spreading Gulf of Mexico oil spill to the South East Queensland coastline:

Large version

It’s frighteningly huge. It would stretch from Noosa to Ballina (anyone who’s driven between them can appreciate the scale of the area covered). Bear in mind that the oil is still gushing out at anywhere between 5,000 barrels (the BP estimate) and 70,000 barrels per day. All current attempts to stem the flow have failed and they’re now attempting more radical ideas. It’s quite disconcerting to realise the scale of this accident as we attempted to insert a drill into the ocean floor a kilometre and a half below the surface so we can extract the ever diminishing oil reserves on offer. ‘Junkies trying to find a vein’ is an obvious analogy.

NB: The Google Maps image overlay is obviously subject to distortion based on the map projection used, but South East Queensland and The Gulf of Mexico are roughly the same distance from the equator so the vertical distortion is comparable.

NASA high resolution image of the slick:

Radar estimate showing the extents of the slick:

Photo credit: Igor Siwanowicz

Fun little a capella beatboxing flash site:

Looking out the window:

This panoramic view encompasses the entire sky as seen by Two Micron All-Sky Survey. The measured brightnesses of half a billion stars have been combined into colors representing three distinct wavelengths of infrared light. This image is centered on the core of our own Milky Way galaxy.

Hi Res Image: Here Source: Caltech

Looking inwards:

Record grooves (actually it’s all one groove) under an electron microscope.

Article: synthgear