Santa's sleigh or the International Space Station? How to spot a bright Christmas flyby Dec. 24 and 25
Early risers across North America and Europe may spot a bright, silent light gliding across the Christmas sky — and it just happens to coincide with an ISS flyby.

The International Space Station streaks through the sky filled with faint auroras and STEVE. (Image credit: Alan Dyer/Stocktrek Images via Getty Images)
Early risers across North America and Europe may notice something unusual in the skies this Christmas, a bright, silent light, gliding smoothly overhead in the hours before sunrise on Dec. 24 and Dec. 25.
It won't blink like an airplane and it won't leave a trail behind. Instead, it will appear suddenly, move steadily across the sky and fade away just minutes later. To young, eager eyes already awake and brimming with excitement, it might look like something (or someone) making a quiet journey through the dawn sky.
This Christmas, the International Space Station is also perfectly placed to reflect sunlight down to Earth during early-morning passes, making it one of the brightest objects in the sky.
Whether you choose to see it as a seasonal mystery or a space-age marvel, the sight may be brief, but it is beautiful and easy to spot with the naked eye — so long as you are in the right place at the right time.
In the table below, we have listed some of the best times to look up over major cities, weather permitting — information gathered from AstroViewer.net.
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When to look for the Christmas sky surprise
City
Date
Local time
Duration
Max altitude
New York
Dec. 24
6:43–6:48 a.m. EST
~5 min
19°
New York
Dec. 25
5:56–5:59 a.m. EST
~3 min
16°
Chicago
Dec. 24
5:42–5:45 a.m. CST
~3 min
16°
Chicago
Dec. 25
6:29–6:35 a.m. CST
~6 min
26°
Toronto
Dec. 24
6:42–6:47 a.m. EST
~5 min
25°
Toronto
Dec. 25
7:30–7:35 a.m. EST
~5 min
56°
London
Dec. 24
7:04–7:10 a.m. GMT
~6 min
55°
London
Dec. 25
6:17–6:22 a.m. GMT
~5 min