Getty Santa is getting ready for Christmas.
Merry Christmas Eve! This is one of the most exciting nights of the year, and you’ll likely want to keep a close eye on where Santa is on his journey tonight. Here is how you can track Santa live on NORAD for Christmas 2020.
Tracking Santa via NORAD’s Map in 2020
Where is Santa right now? If you want to track Santa live, try NORAD’s beautiful 3D map right here. Learn more about NORAD’s Santa mission right here.
You can also call 1-877-HI-NORAD to learn exactly where he is and chat with him. You can also track him on NORAD’s mobile apps. This year, because there are fewer people working the phones, you might not get a live response when you call NORAD, but you’ll still get a recording of Santa’s location, WUSA9 reported.
NORAD has tracked Santa for more than 60 years every Christmas Eve. NORAD’s social media team works hard to answer questions and phone calls while Santa is traveling.
Santa’s been ready for quite some time!
NORAD’s Santa Tracker began when a SEARS Roebuck & Co. ad included a top-secret number to the predecessor of NORAD, the Continental Air Defense Command. A little girl called and spoke to Director of Operations Colonel Harry Shoup, who told her he could help her locate Santa. The Colonel instructed his staff to help pinpoint Santa’s location for similar calls that Christmas Eve of 1955. NORAD has kept the tradition going ever since.
Here’s a look at Santa’s reindeer.
Last year, NORAD provided a behind-the-scenes look at Santa tracking and how it works.
By the way, did you know that the radar system used to track Santa and Rudolph is the North Warning System? The satellites NORAD uses to detect the flash generated from missile launches can also track Santa. On top of that, Rudolph’s nose gives off an infrared signature that helps satellites better track Santa, WUSA9 reported. When a missile or rocket launches, it gives off enough heat for satellites to track it, and Rudolph’s nose works similarly. This allows Santa’s location to be easily detected, since Rudolph’s nose shines so brightly on the radar.
WUSA9 also reported that Canadian NORAD fighter jets always take off and welcome Santa to North America, escorting him at various points along his journey. In the United States, NORAD fighter pilots also fly alongside Santa and his reindeer for a time. These could be F-15s, F-16s, or F-22s. Santa slows down his pace a bit while they’re escorting him so the fighter pilots can enjoy that moment, because Santa can actually travel much faster than those jets if he wants to.
Other Ways to Track Santa
You can also track Santa via Google if that’s your preference. Santa’s tracker and location might appear different on Google and NORAD because of a space-time continuum issue. You can watch Google track Santa on its map here. The webpage also has a lot of different games you can play too.
NORAD also has a Google Play app for tracking Santa that you can install here. A similar one is available on iOS.
Kids can also find Santa by asking Amazon’s Alexa where he is or by using Onstar.
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