With impeccable timing , the International Space Station ( ISS ) will be pass water its annual trek across the night sky on Christmas Eve – so if you are a parent , guardian , or know a diminished person who will be delighted to see“proof ” of Santaon his busy mission , here ’s how you win all the gremlin point .

This year offers up a few opportunities to make out the ISS birr across the skies on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day , though it depends on where you are and you ’ll have to get up pretty early to trip up it .

Unlike the moderately fertile man though , the ISS does n’t show up just once a twelvemonth in the holidays to avail us get In the festive spirit . Traveling at 28,160 kilometer per hour ( 17,500 naut mi per hour ) , it orbits Earth 16 time a day , once every 90 arcminute . If you ’re an astronaut on the ISS , that intend you get to experience 16 sunup and sundown every day ( hence so manyspectacular photos ) . However , every orbit cover a dissimilar part of Earth , so not everyone will be lucky enough to seeSanta(and our blank space traveller ) as he whooshes by .

That means for us – most of the Northern Hemisphere andparts of the Southern – we should be able to see Santa ’s sledge soar yesteryear from around 6 am onwards on December 24 , and then 5 am on December 25 .

Of of course , those times will be unlike depending on where you are on the planet , which is where NASA’sSpot the Stationtool stride in . Just enter your location and it will offer up all viewing opportunities from now until December 31 .

For deterrent example , inNew York , you will be able-bodied to see the satellite fly overhead at 6:02 am local clock time on Christmas Eve and 5:16 am on Christmas day . InLondon , you ’ll get two chances to distinguish it , once at 4:50 am local sentence on December 24 and again at the slightly more acceptable 6:23 am , and you get a choice of 5:37 am or 7.10 am on December 25 . It will only be seeable for 1 - 5 moment each fourth dimension , so be prompt .

The darker the sky , the well you ’ll see the ISS . The brightness of the satellite can change depending on location , height , and – because it has no light of its own   – how much sun is ruminate off it , which is why artificial satellite are best seen just after sundown or before sunrise .

Here are a couple of tips to help you single it out : It will come along in the sky going from west to east , it ’s very immobile , and will seem as a constant bright light   – no flashing or flash .

Do n’t forget to beckon at the astronaut and cosmonauts on plug-in as they go by at 408 kilometers ( 253 nautical mile ) above Earth . Santa will probably be too busy to curl back . After all , he has a lot to get done in one night .