How to see Santa flying through the sky this Christmas Eve

By Hiyah Zaidi
Friday, 24th December 2021, 6:00 am
Updated Friday, 24th December 2021, 6:32 am
Santa’s sleigh will be visible in the sky on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning (Photo: Shutterstock)

Christmas Eve is a busy night for Santa, but it will be possible to spot his sleigh flying through the sky in the early hours of the morning.

Kids will have a chance to spot Father Christmas himself before he completes his deliveries and heads back to the North Pole.

If you are in need of little festive magic, here’s how to spot him.

When will Santa’s sleigh be visible?

Santa’s sleigh lights will be visible early on Christmas morning at 06:49AM for around six minutes.

The lights are visible by the naked eye and can be spotted across the UK.

For adults wondering how that is possible, the sleigh of Father Christmas is actually the International Space Station (ISS) passing overhead as it circles the earth.

NASA has outlined some dates and times where the ISS is visible and each sighting lasts for a few minutes at a time.

Santas’ sleigh will also be visible on Christmas Eve, at 06:02AM for around four minutes.

However, NASA has said the ISS may be travelling too fast for people to see it.

If the weather is clear, Santa will be appearing from the west and heading east, which can be determined through the compass app on your phone.

NASA states that the ISS (or the sleigh to little ones) “looks like a fast-moving plane only much higher and traveling thousands of miles an hour faster.


To get the best experience, there are a few apps you can download to track the ISS.

How can I track Santa’s sleigh?

There are a few ways you can track the ISS this festive season.

NASA has a dedicated website that allows you to sign up for email alerts or text messages when the ISS is flying overhead.

But there are some apps available for phones that can help with tracking the sleigh too.

The ISS Spotter works on iPads and iPhones 4s or better and needs IO7+ to function. However, receiving 4.6 stars from 115 reviews this app is a popular choice to follow the ISS.

Another popular choice is ISS Live Now which provides a 24/7 video livestream from the International Space Station.

The app allows you to track the live movements of the ISS as it orbits the Earth, which is perfect to track the sleigh.