If you’re looking to share a little Christmas magic with the budding astronomers in your life, NASA has just provided the perfect solution.
In the early hours of Christmas morning, ‘Santa’, better known as the International Space Station (ISS), will pass directly over the UK.
Although it isn’t the real Father Christmas, the glittering light of the ISS is guaranteed to enthral any children desperate to see where their presents come from.
And the great news is that you won’t need any special equipment to see Santa’s sleigh.
Although the ISS is relatively small compared to other objects in space, it orbits at an extremely low altitude of just 250 miles (400 km).
That means the orbital lab will be one of the brightest objects in the night sky as it whizzes above our heads.
According to NASA, there will be two excellent chances to spot the ISS this Christmas.
So, here is everything you need to know to catch a glimpse of ‘Santa’.
If you want to spread some Christmas magic this holiday, you can catch a glimpse of Santa and his sleigh, better known as the International Space Station, as it passes over the UK (file image)
The ISS will appear as a solid white light moving in a steady line across the sky. It will not blink or flash like a plane or fade out like a shooting star. Pictured: The ISS seen from Earth
Since the ISS travels at 17,900 mph (28,800 kmph), it orbits Earth every 90 minutes, meaning there are often multiple chances to spot it.
However, not all of these are visible throughout the day.
Catherine Muller, astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, told the Daily Mail: ‘Just like we’re able to see the Moon because it reflects light from the Sun, we’re able to spot the ISS with the naked eye because its solar panels reflect light from the Sun.
‘Unlike the Moon, it’s not bright enough to be spotted during the day.’
That means the best time to see the ISS is just before dawn or after dusk, when the viewer is in the dark while the ISS is still being illuminated by the sun.
Luckily, there will be two such opportunities to see Santa on his way back to the North Pole on Christmas morning.
For any early risers, the first opportunity will occur at 04:44 GMT on Christmas morning, with the ISS appearing 16° above the horizon in the East.
However, this won’t be your best chance to see Santa as the light of the ISS will only be visible for about a minute and will remain quite low in the sky.
There will be two opportunities to see the ISS on Christmas morning. One at 04:44 GMT and a second, much better chance at 06:17 GMT (pictured)
The best chance will come a few hours later, shortly after six in the morning, as the ISS rises 36° above the horizon.
Mr Muller says: The ISS will become visible at 06:17 GMT in the west, and will curve higher in the sky towards the south before disappearing in the East.
‘It will only be visible for five minutes, until 06:22 GMT, and will look like a star steadily moving across the sky. It will not flash or blink like a plane.’
Even though the ISS is bright, it can still be a little difficult to spot if you don’t know where to look.
That means the most important thing is making sure you know exactly when and where it is going to be visible.
The best thing to do is download NASA’s ‘Spot the Station’ app on your phone.
This provides real-time information about the station’s location, alerts you to upcoming sightings, and has an augmented reality mode which shows you where the station should be using your phone camera.
Once you are confident that you can find the station, all the normal rules you would use for stargazing still apply.
The ISS doesn’t produce any light of its own, but rather reflects light from the sun as the moon does. This means the best time to see it is before dawn or after dusk, when the viewer is in the dark and the station is in the light
The Met Office forecasts clear skies over the south of England and Scotland. There will be patchy cloud over the north of England and Wales
‘It’s important to give your eyes enough time to adapt to the dark beforehand to ensure you don’t miss the ISS passing overhead, and try and find a location with minimal light pollution,’ says Ms Muller.
If you can, try to avoid using a bright torch or looking at your phone for at least 15 minutes before the ISS arrives so that your eyes will be fully adjusted.
Luckily, the cloudy weather of the past few days looks to be finally clearing just in time for a clear, cold Christmas day.
According to the Met Office forecast, there will be some patchy cloud over Wales and the North of England, while the rest of the country remains clear.
That should mean many people will have a great chance to catch the ISS passing overhead.
Even if you can’t wake up early enough to see the space station, you may still be able to catch a few shooting stars this evening from the tail end of the Ursid Meteor shower.
The Ursids run until December 26, producing about 10 shooting stars every hour at their peak, and are known for the occasional bright cluster of fireballs.
As long as you have a clear view of the sky to the north and are far from any light sources, you might be able to see a few shooting stars appearing from the constellation Ursa Minor.
Meanwhile, on the ISS, astronauts will be celebrating the holiday with a special meal including ‘clams, oysters, turkey, green beans, and smoked salmon, along with shelf-stable treats such as candies, icing, almond butter, and hummus’
The astronauts aboard the ISS have their own festive traditions, including giving small gifts and hanging spacesuit boots on the airlock rather than stockings above the fireplace
Meanwhile, up on the ISS, the astronauts are also preparing for their Christmas celebrations.
NASA says that astronauts will have the chance to enjoy a Christmas dinner including ‘clams, oysters, turkey, green beans, and smoked salmon, along with shelf-stable treats such as candies, icing, almond butter, and hummus.’
Astronauts will also exchange small gifts and spend the day connecting with their families on Earth through video calls.
In a video message recorded from the station, NASA astronaut Mike Fincke says: ‘During this season, it’s about spending time with family and friends and spending time together and reflecting on the year, and what a great year it has been for us as astronauts.
‘It’s also a little bit sad because we’re not with our families at the time, but actually we are; we’re with our space family. So, we’re okay, and we’re looking forward to spending the holidays together.
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.
The International Space Station has been continuously occupied for more than 20 years and has been expended with multiple new modules added and upgrades to systems
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.
