INDIANAPOLIS — Santa has taken off from the North Pole and he's on his way around the world to deliver presents!
According to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), the US military command that is charged with protecting the airspace for North America, Santa and his sleigh took off from the runway at the North Pole around 4:30 a.m. Christmas Eve.
NORAD is tracking a sleigh and eight tiny reindeer around the world as it heads for US airspace Tuesday night.
NORAD | Follow Santa's journey with NORAD on Twitter
#NORAD captured #Santa's takeoff from the North Pole. #NORADTrackSanta https://t.co/olPrlohoh9
— NORAD Tracks Santa (@NoradSanta) December 24, 2019
NORAD says their official Santa Tracker is now live and you can watch Santa Claus and track his whereabouts using their "Santa Cams" as he journeys around the world to bring joy to good boys and girls.
The NORAD satellites captured Rudolph's nose leading the sleigh as Santa made his way to his first stops of Christmas Eve in Russia.
#NORAD satellites use infrared sensors to detect heat from Rudolph’s nose, helping #NORADTrackSanta. #Santa https://t.co/oTxaJG2jbo
— NORAD Tracks Santa (@NoradSanta) December 24, 2019
Families can also call 1-877-HI-NORAD (1-877-446-6723) and speak live with NORAD trackers. People stuck in the car on the way to Grandmother's house, and with an OnStar subscription, can access the tracker by hitting their OnStar button.
The Santa Tracker program began in 1955 because of a mistake in a Colorado Springs newspaper advertisement from Sears Roebuck & Co. The Sears ad misprinted the telephone number for children to call Santa. The phone number published was actually for the commander in chief's operations hotline at the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD), which was NORAD's predecessor.
On December 24, 1955, Air Force Col. Harry Shoup was on duty, and instead of hanging up on countless children that night, Shoup checked the radar and updated the eager children on jolly old Saint Nick's location. That 1955 misprint and Shoup's actions started a 62-year tradition that is made possible today by volunteers and corporate sponsors who bear the expense.
NORAD tracker: Follow Santa here
