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International Space Station to fly over North America on Christmas Eve

Kids looking for Santa might see another flying object tonight.

 

Rae Votta

Parsec

Posted on Dec 24, 2014   Updated on May 29, 2021, 9:52 pm CDT

Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow might see something in the sky this Christmas eve, but we’re sorry to tell you it’s not Santa Claus.

The International Space Station was visible in the U.K. this evening. The station will continue its journey to North America, becoming visible around 6:34 pm CT in Detroit. You can check for other appearance times in your area on the SpotTheStation website.

The ISS will look like a fast-moving plane or bright star, speeding across the sky at 17,500 miles per hour, just shy of 220 miles above the earth.

Sure, it’s not reindeer and jingle bells, unless NASA is in on a Santa conspiracy. Either way it’s a nice holiday treat for families happy to celebrate science or looking for some Christmas magic.

H/T Mirror | Photo via nasamarshall/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

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*First Published: Dec 24, 2014, 8:23 pm CST