Christmas comes early! This is when you can spot Santa and his reindeer in the sky tonight (with a little help from NASA)
- The International Space Station will be visible in the sky over the next few days
- However, kids won’t be able to see its glow on Christmas Eve or Christsmas Day
- The next time the Station is expected to be visible on Christmas Eve is 2023
Many kids dream of seeing Santa fly across the star-filled night sky over Christmas, delivering presents to little ones around the world.
Now, thanks to NASA they can — albeit a little early.
The US space agency has released specific times for when ‘Santa’s sleigh’ can be seen in the night sky.
Though what they will actually be seeing is the International Space Station, there’s no need for the little ones to know that.
Santa’s sleigh, really the International Space Station, will be visible over the next few days
It is essential to look up promptly as Santa’s sleigh — in the form of a bright star moving across the sky — will only be visible for just a few moments each time on his ‘practice run’.
On December 11, Santa and his reindeers will be visible in the London sky at exactly 5.14pm for a total of three minutes.
A short amount of time, but understandable given that it will be traveling at the ISS’s speed of 17,150 miles per hour (or 7.66km per second).
The ISS is not expected to be visible on Christmas Eve again until 2023 so it’s advisable for families to make the most of the festive moment this week.
The ISS will only be visible for several minutes over the next few days, traveling 17,150mph
Here is when and for long you can catch Santa’s sleigh in the sky in the UK.
Tuesday, December 11 at 5.14pm for three minutes
Wednesday, December 12 at 4.22pm for three minutes
Wednesday, December 12 at 5.58pm for less than one minute
Thursday, December 13 at 5.06pm for two minutes
To see if your kids can catch Santa’s sleigh in the sky, visit NASA’s Spot the Station website.