Santas ISS Passes – Watch Santa (The International Space Station) on his Practice Runs This Christmas.
Santas ISS: For the past few years, we’ve had some great festive fun in the UK with (Santa) International Space Station passes before Christmas.
As a result, many parents, grandparents and guardians have told their little ones that the ISS is actually Santa on his practice runs. On the other hand, this sounds silly to some, but many small children with playful adults found it magical and really thought they could see Santa!
Will your children see Santa on his practice runs this year? Perhaps they are too old now and know it’s the Space Station. Regardless, the ISS is an amazing sight to behold and we can use it to spread some extra magic and inspire them to find out more about Space this Christmas. Read on to find out more.
Is this for you?
If fooling small children into thinking the ISS is Santa isn’t your thing, and you are all Bah Humbug about it. No problem! You can still watch the station for the wonder that it is.
You can see when the Space Station passes over the UK in November/ December 2020 here. Follow @VirtualAstro on twitter for alerts and countdowns on when it passes over. Some parents etc. want to keep it real and let their children know it’s the ISS which is great!
There are so many more things you can do to light up their faces this Christmas.
Will Santa (the ISS) be Visible Christmas Eve?
This is probably one of the most frequently asked questions I get on twitter throughout the year!
The Space Station (Santa for the festive ones) will have evening passes in early December. However, there are morning passes where you can see Santa on his practice runs and on his way to other parts of the world on Christmas morning.
The next evening Christmas Eve pass will probably be in a couple of years unless the stations orbit changes a lot. We can’t really predict it accurately yet, as so much can change.
Don’t let this put you off though!
See Santa On His Practice Runs in 2020
You can see the ISS passing over the UK Late November/ early December in the evenings. In addition to this, Santas ISS passes will be visible in the mornings a few days before and on Christmas morning. You can if you wish spread some early seasonal magic with these pass times. But if not, I’m sure seeing the station will be just as magical and inspiring for kids if you want to get up early. I’m sure you will be with small children.
Most of all! I hope you have a great deal of fun and interest with your children during the passes, whatever you tell them it is.
When to Watch
The table below gives approximate pass times and basic information. This will help you spot Santa as he passes over.
Only bright ISS passes which can be seen from the UK are listed and the information is approximate. Therefore, timings may differ by a few seconds, dependent on observer’s location. Times may change at short notice if the Station performs an orbital boost and changes its orbit. All Timings are local time.
Give yourself plenty of time, get your cameras ready and enjoy Santa as he passes over. Keep your eyes peeled for meteors, satellites and other objects too, they may be visible also!
Have a very Merry Christmas.
Pass Times
Times may differ slightly to other sources and can change at short notice, so please check this page daily for accurate timings.
| Date | Brightness | Rises 10° over the horizon (start time) | Approaches From (start direction) | Highest Point This Pass | Sets/ Goes into Earths Shadow (direction) | Goes into Earths Shadow | Approximate Pass Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 December 2020 | Incredibly Bright | 07:02 | SW | 07:05 | E | 07:09 | Overhead Pass |
| 24 December 2020 | Very Bright | 06:15 | W | 06:18 | E | 06:21 | Medium Altitude Pass |
| 25 December 2020 | Incredibly Bright | 07:03 | WSW | 07:07 | SSW | 07:10 | Overhead Pass – On His Way to the rest of the world |
Christmas Gift Ideas For Kids
Kids Books – Stargazing, Science, Space and A Whole Lot More
Kids and Family Telescopes
Will I c it on Sunday 23rd december
When will it pass over Liverpool ? .It says it was tonight at 5.10pm as the newspaper says ?
Hi, will Santa be visible without a telescope? Thanks.
Yes
What do you watch?? The moon??
I know it sounds like a stupid question. But, is he passing over on 26th too? Separated parents and our Christmas is 27th.
Yes, at 06:17 in the morning directly overhead from the west
Can we see it in Ireland
Yes
We just spotted him and it has helped cement in 2 8 year olds heads that Santa really is real! There comment was it’s epic!!! Thank you for the updates!
What a fantastic site,spotted it last night,rest of the times it’s been cloudy
When will it pass over Erith in Kent? Please
Sorry for the delay in replying. All times for the UK are found in the article. The times cover every part of the UK and will be the same across the country
When will it pass over flint in birth wales please ?
Times are for the whole of the UK. They start end of November and go through to mid December
Will I be able to see it from Sutton Bank Yorkshire if so what dates
Thank you
Yes. Times and dates are in the post
This is great!! As an amateur astronomer I was aware of the ISS passesbut this is the firsy time I have seen the approx pass times and will have them handy so I can view as much as possible. Thanks!!