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NASA has revealed the exact time you can see ‘Santa’s sleigh’ flying over Greater Manchester this Christmas

Keep your eyes peeled.

The Manc - 21st December 2023

During Christmas, there’s anticipation in the air as little (and not so little) ones up and down the country excitedly await Santa’s arrival.

Cookies are laid out, alongside glasses of port and mince pies, as well as a carrot for his trusty reindeer. Then it’s a waiting game, as we all try to sleep and battle off intrusive thoughts like ‘has he come?’ until the morning.

Only this year, there’s an extra thing to get excited about.

NASA has revealed that early birds will be able to get a faint glimpse of ‘Santa’s sleigh’ in the night sky as he passes over Greater Manchester after completing his rounds on Christmas morning.

The world-renowned space agency has given us an exact time to look up at the stars to spot the main man himself and catch the glimmer of lights from his sleigh.

NASA has reveals the exact time you can see ‘Santa’s sleigh’ flying over Greater Manchester this Christmas / Credit: Tim Mossholder (via Unsplash)

“It’s the third brightest object in the sky and easy to spot if you know when to look up,” NASA explains.

“It’s visible to the naked eye, it looks like a fast-moving plane only much higher and travelling thousands of miles an hour faster.”

The lights from his sleigh will, coincidentally, appear at the same time as the International Space Station, which has recently become visible in the sky, but NASA says you can tell it’s his ‘sleigh’ and not a plane by because it will not change direction and will not have flashing lights.

It will visible to the naked eye at specific times over the coming days, so if you’ve got some early risers in your house why not get together and see if you can spot Santa for yourself?

Here’s when to keep your eyes peeled.

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Friday 22 December

5:08am

It will be visible for two minutes moving from the South East to the East, and then again at 6:41am for six minutes moving from the West South West to the East.

Saturday 23 December

5:55am

It will be visible for four minutes appearing from the South and moving to the East, and then again at 7:29am appearing in the West and disappearing in the East.

Sunday 24 December

5:09am

It will be visible for two minutes, moving from East South East to East, and then again at 6:42am appearing from West South West and disappearing in the East.

Monday 25 December

5:56am

It will be visible for three minutes moving above the East from the South, and then again at 7:29am for seven minutes travelling from West to East South East.

To help you spot the Space Station – or, should we say, ‘Santa’s sleigh’ -you can download the ISS tracking app on the App Store, or you can also visit NASA’s website.

Featured Image – Pixabay