Norad Santa Tracker: Countdown started

By: Peter Chubb | Posted: December 15, 2008 | 1 Comment
Filed under: News

Yes kids it is that time of year once more when we will all want to know where Santa is in the world, and how close he is to our homes. The Norad Santa tracker has already started its countdown to when they will start to track Santa, and there are just 9 days to go.

Norad as well as its predecessor, Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) have tracked Santa for well over 50 years now. The tradition of following Santa started after a mistake by a Colorado Springs-based Sears Roebuck & Co. store.

The store printed a special “hotline” number so that children could talk to Santa, but the number was wrong, and the children found that they were talking to CONAD Director of Operations, Colonel Harry Shoup.

Shoup decided to check the radar to see if Santa was making his way from the North Pole, there was no sign of him. Kid’s kept calling up to get an update; this is where the tradition of the Santa tracker began.

Technology is much better now and Norad now uses a powerful system called the North Warning System, this allows them to track Santa once he leaves the North Pole on Christmas Eve. Santa is tracked by the infrared heat signal that is given off by Rudolph’s nose.

Watch the video below of Santa being tracked last year.

Norad Santa Tracker

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