For anyone looking for a little Christmas magic in the coming days, NASA might have provided the answer.
The space agency has revealed the times when ‘Santa’, also known as the International Space Station, will be passing overhead this Christmas Eve.
While it might not be the real thing, the bright light of the ISS making its transit is a great alternative for any children desperate to see where their presents come from.
According to NASA’s ISS tracker, the ISS will pass overhead twice on Christmas Eve at 05:20 and 6:53 GMT.
While that might mean an early start for some parents, it is great news for skygazers since these pre-dawn hours are the best time to spot the ISS.
And for any parents being woken up early on Christmas day, there will be an even better chance to spot Santa on his return journey as the ISS passes almost directly overhead.
And to make things even better, you won’t even need any special equipment to spot this festive treat.
NASA says: ‘It is the third brightest object in the sky and easy to spot if you know when to look up.’
Although the ISS is tiny 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: ‘Put simply, it’s quite shiny and it isn’t very far away. The ISS is in orbit only about 400 kilometres up, and more than 100 metres across. It’s a pretty big chunk of metal, and there isn’t too much traffic up there!’
From Earth, the ISS will look quite a lot like a plane in that it will be a bright light moving in a steady line across the sky.
The only difference is that the ISS will have a constant glow rather than the flashing you’d normally see on a plane.
And, since the ISS travels at 17,900 mph (28,800 kmph) it orbits Earth every 90 minutes so there are often multiple chances to spot it.
That means spotting 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 changes all the time, and depends on where you are.’
‘The best thing is NASA’s “Spot the Station” site. You can get a list of potential observation times, along with direction and elevation above the horizon, for a huge range of locations.’
Alternatively, you can download the ‘Spot the Station’ app to get the data for your exact location.
For any potential Santa-spotters in London, the first opportunity will come at 05:20 tomorrow morning as the ISS appears 36° above the horizon in the East.
However, this won’t be the best opportunity since the ISS will only be visible for two minutes and remain fairly low to the horizon.
The better chance will come at 06:53 am when the ISS will appear for a full six minutes and pass almost directly overhead.
To catch this pass, head to an area that is away from light pollution a few minutes before the ISS passes so your eyes have lots of time to adjust to the darkness.
Then look towards the West where the ISS should first appear 16° above the horizon.
Since this pass is close to dawn the ISS should be nice and bright as the Sun reflects off the space station and is contrasted against the dark sky.
If you miss these chances, there’s no need to worry since the ISS will make two further transits in the early hours of Christmas Day itself.
The first will come at 4:43 am and will only last a minute, but there is a much better chance at 6:06 am when the ISS will pass overhead for four minutes.
However, it is important to remember that the exact timings and appearance location will vary according to your location.
Unfortunately, the weather for the coming days won’t present the best opportunities for star gazing.
Oliver Claydon, a spokesperson for the Met Office, told MailOnline: ‘Visibility will be pretty poor across the UK unfortunately.
‘We have cloud spilling in from the west through today and that cloud will then stick around through the week, leading to quite a grey and dull Christmas for most of us.
The best chance for any brightness is in the northeast of Scotland where there could be some clearer skies, and possibly the North East of England. The skies will most likely still have some thin cloud though so not fantastic conditions.’
And with temperatures dipping below 10°C (50°F) in some places, be sure to dress warm if you plan to venture out on a Santa hunt this Christmas.
EXPLAINED: THE $100 BILLION INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION SITS 250 MILES ABOVE THE EARTH
The International Space Station (ISS) is a $100 billion (£80 billion) science and engineering laboratory that orbits 250 miles (400 km) above Earth.
It has been permanently staffed by rotating crews of astronauts and cosmonauts since November 2000.
Crews have come mainly from the US and Russia, but the Japanese space agency JAXA and European space agency ESA have also sent astronauts.
Research conducted 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 investigated human research, space medicine, life sciences, physical sciences, astronomy and meteorology.
The US space agency, NASA, spends about $3 billion (£2.4 billion) a year on the space station program, with the remaining funding coming from international partners, including Europe, Russia and Japan.
So far 244 individuals from 19 countries have visited the station, and among them eight private citizens who spent up to $50 million for their visit.
There is an ongoing debate about the future of the station beyond 2025, when it is thought some of the original structure will reach ‘end of life’.
Russia, a major partner in the station, plans to launch its own orbital platform around then, with Axiom Space, a private firm, planning to send its own modules for purely commercial use to the station at the same time.
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, that would also include a base on the surface.
