How to see Santa’s sleigh in UK skies this Christmas

This extraordinary object, which is, in fact, the International Space Station (ISS), is often spotted by families on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

It is visible to the naked eye and is said to be the third brightest object in our night sky.

How to spot ‘Santa’s sleigh’ this Christmas

To spot Santa’s sleigh on Christmas Day, you’ll have to keep your eyes peeled for an object that appears suddenly and moves steadily across the sky before fading away just minutes later.

Over Christmas, the space station is perfectly situated to reflect sunlight down on the Earth as it passes, making it one of the brightest objects we can observe on the ground.

When will I be able to see ‘Santa’s sleigh’ in the UK this Christmas?

Those wishing to see Santa’s sleigh on Christmas Day will have a short window of just five minutes to see it glide across the sky, according to tracker Astro Viewer.

This chance will present itself between 6.17 am and 6.22 am. The sleigh will also have a maximum latitude of 55 degrees.

The sleigh has already been visible this December, with families being wowed by the sight of its passing on Christmas Eve at around 7.04 am.

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How fast does Santa’s sleigh travel?

According to NASA, Santa’s sleigh (or the ISS) travels at around 17,500 mph (28,000 kilometres per hour), which allows the crew onboard to see 16 sunrises and sunsets every day.

This means the station, which has been continuously inhabited since the year 2000, orbits the Earth every 90 minutes.

Since it began operation over 25 years ago, 280 people from 23 different countries have visited the station.

Over its lifecycle, the station has circumnavigated the Earth hundreds of thousands of times.