How you can see Santa Claus in the sky tomorrow as the International Space Station flies over Britain on Christmas Eve
For anyone looking for a little Christmas magic in the coming days, NASA may have provided the answer.
The space agency has revealed the times when ‘Santa’, also known as the International Space Station, will pass overhead this Christmas Eve.
While it may not be real, the bright light of the ISS on its way is a great alternative for kids desperate to see where their presents come from.
According to NASA’s ISS tracker, the ISS will fly overhead twice on Christmas Eve, at 05:20 and 06:53 GMT.
While that may mean an early start for some parents, it’s great news for skygazers, as these hours before sunrise are the best time to spot the ISS.
And for all the parents who wake up early on Christmas Day, there’s an even better chance of seeing Santa Claus on his return journey, as the ISS passes almost directly overhead.
And to make things even better, you don’t even need any special equipment to spot this festive treat.
NASA says: ‘It’s the third brightest object in the sky and easy to spot if you know when to look up.’
For anyone looking for a little Christmas magic this year, the bright light of the ISS will make a great substitute for Santa’s sleigh passing overhead this Christmas Eve.
As the third-brightest object in the sky, the bright, consistent light from the ISS (pictured) is easy to spot against the dark background of the sky
Although the ISS is small compared to the moon and stars, it will still be one of the brightest objects in the sky.
Dr. Edward Bloomer, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, told MailOnline: ‘Simply put, it’s quite shiny and it’s not far away. The ISS is in orbit around the Earth at an altitude of only about 400 kilometers and has a diameter of more than 100 meters. It’s a pretty big piece of metal, and there’s not much traffic up there!’
From Earth, the ISS will look a lot like an airplane, as it will be a bright light moving in a steady line across the sky.
The only difference is that the ISS will have a steady glow instead of the flashing you normally see on an airplane.
And since the ISS travels at 28,800 km/h, it orbits the Earth every 90 minutes, so there are often multiple chances to spot it.
That means finding the ISS isn’t that difficult if you know where to look.
Dr. Bloomer says: ‘The orbit of the ISS means the best time to see it is constantly changing and depends on where you are.’
‘The best is NASA’s’Find the station“site. You can get a list of potential observation times, along with direction and height above the horizon, for a wide range of locations.”
The shining body of the ISS reflects the sun’s light before sunrise and is clearly visible against the dark sky. The best time to spot it is at 06:53 GMT or at 06:06 GMT on Christmas Day
To find the ISS, check NASA’s ‘Spot the Station’ website to see when it will appear over your location. Via the ‘Appears’ location you can see where to look when the station comes into view
Alternatively, you can download the ‘Spot the Station’ app to get the details of your exact location.
For would-be Santa spotters in London, the first opportunity will come at 5.20am tomorrow morning, as the ISS appears 36° above the horizon in the east.
However, this won’t be the best chance, as the ISS will only be visible for two minutes and will remain quite low on the horizon.
The better opportunity will occur at 6:53 a.m., when the ISS will appear for six minutes and pass almost directly overhead.
To get this pass, go to an area without light pollution a few minutes before the ISS passes, so your eyes have enough time to adjust to the darkness.
Then look west, where the ISS should first appear 16° above the horizon.
Since this pass is almost sunrise, the ISS should be nice and bright as the sun reflects off the space station and contrasts with the dark sky.
If you miss these opportunities, don’t worry, as the ISS will make two more transits in the early hours of Christmas Day itself.
Unfortunately the weather won’t be great for seeing the ISS with lots of cloud cover (right) and some rain (left) during the time the ISS will be most visible
The first will come at 4:43 a.m. and will last just a minute, but it is much more likely at 6:06 a.m., when the ISS will pass overhead for four minutes.
However, it is important to remember that exact performance times and locations will vary depending on your location.
Unfortunately, the weather will not offer the best stargazing opportunities in the coming days.
Oliver Claydon, a spokesman for the Met Office, told MailOnline: ‘Visibility will unfortunately be quite poor across Britain.
‘We’ll have clouds moving in from the west until today and that cloud will hang around all week, which will make for a pretty gray and dull Christmas for most of us.
The best chance of some brightness will be in north-east Scotland, where skies may be a little clearer, and possibly in north-east England. The sky will probably still have some thin cloud cover, but it won’t be fantastic conditions.’
And with temperatures dropping below 10°C (50°F) in some places, make sure you dress warmly if you plan to go Santa hunting this Christmas.
EXPLAINED: THE $100 BILLION INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION IS 400 MILES ABOVE EARTH
The International Space Station (ISS) is a $100 billion (£80 billion) science and engineering laboratory located 400 km above Earth.
Since November 2000, it has been permanently staffed by rotating crews of astronauts and cosmonauts.
Crews have come mainly from the US and Russia, but the Japanese space agency JAXA and the European Space Agency ESA have also sent astronauts.
The International Space Station has been continuously occupied for more than 20 years and has been expanded with several new modules and system upgrades
Research aboard the ISS often requires one or more of the unusual conditions present in low Earth orbit, such as low gravity or oxygen.
ISS studies have explored human research, space medicine, life sciences, physical sciences, astronomy and meteorology.
The US space agency NASA spends approximately $3 billion a year on the space station program, with the remaining funding coming from international partners including Europe, Russia and Japan.
So far, 244 people from 19 countries have visited the station, including eight private citizens who spent up to $50 million for their visit.
There is an ongoing debate about the future of the station after 2025, when it is thought that part of the original structure will reach the end of its life.
Russia, a major partner in the station, plans to launch its own orbital platform around that time, while Axiom Space, a private company, plans to simultaneously send its own modules to the station for purely commercial use.
NASA, ESA, JAXA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) are working together to build a space station in orbit around the moon, and Russia and China are working on a similar project, which would also include a base on the surface.