Merry Christmas, and you know what that means. Santa Claus is coming to town! How long until he arrives? Can you spot him in flight? Yes, Virginia. There is a Santa Claus, and he can be tracked.
For more than 50 years, NORAD and its predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) have tracked Santa’s flight. The tradition began in 1955 after a Colorado Springs-based Sears Roebuck & Co. advertisement for children to call Santa misprinted the telephone number. Instead of reaching Santa, the phone number put kids through to the CONAD Commander-in-Chief’s operations “hotline.” The Director of Operations at the time, Colonel Harry Shoup, had his staff check the radar for indications of Santa making his way south from the North Pole.
Using high speed photography, combined with fighter jets, satellites and radar to locate him, NORAD manages to capture Jolly St. Nick as he passes over landmarks in countries around the world.
Starting on Christmas Eve, you can track Santa on the NORAD Santa’s main page.
Track Santa on Google Earth
In addition to tracking Santa on the NORAD Tracks Santa homepage, you can also track his flight in Google Earth. Click here on Christmas Eve to follow Santa around the world in 3D.
