On 01 October 2003, the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on NASA's Terra satellite captured this image of Baytown, Texas.

North of Galveston Bay and near the mouth of the San Jacinto River, Baytown is home to the largest oil refinery in the United States. Crude oil is the starting point for many products that we use on a daily basis, from gasoline to plastic dishes to fertilisers. But before it's readily usable, crude oil has to be refined.

ASTER combines infrared, red, and green wavelengths of light to make false-colour images that distinguish between water and land. Water is blue; buildings and paved surfaces appear tan and grey; and vegetation is red, with brighter shades indicating more robust vegetation.

The petrochemical complex appears in shades of beige and grey, standing out from its vegetated suburban surroundings. The plant stretches to the shore in the south, and is encircled by roads on its eastern and northern sides. Covering 5 square miles (13 square kilometres), the complex includes not just a refinery, but also two chemical plants and some administrative facilities.

View the full resolution image.

Credit: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Photojournal (via NASA Earth Observatory)