Every year, Santa leaves his home in the North Pole to deliver presents to children living in countless homes across the globe. Whether you"re young or adult, tracking Santa"s journey adds to the fun on Christmas Eve. Travelling vast distances on a Reindeer-pulled sleigh to deliver all the gifts in one night is a magical feat, afterall.
One of the popular means to track Santa"s journey on Christmas Eve is NORAD Tracks Santa, a tracker developed and maintained by the American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). The Santa tracker website has existed for over two decades and got an AI-powered chatbot in a recent update.
It uses satellite imagery and computer graphics to showcase Santa"s journey on a 3D map. You can see a 360-degree animated view of Santa travelling on his sleigh pulled by the reindeer. The tracker displays the last seen location, the time remaining for the next location, and the number of gifts delivered.
The program was initially conceived in 1955. NORAD used to supply information about Santa"s whereabouts with the help of volunteers answering phone calls made by children, and this continues to this date.
NORAD"s tracker also inspired Google Santa Tracker, which was launched in 2004. It also simulates Santa"s journey on Christmas Eve, loaded with rich graphics and animation. Google"s Santa tracking efforts ignited after the company acquired Keyhole (now Google Earth) in 2004 and launched the "Keyhole Santa Radar."
According to its backstory, the search giant "felt like it could have been even better if people could visualize exactly where Santa was on Christmas Eve." However, the footfall was initially limited as Keyhole was still a for-pay service.
Google Santa Tracker shows the total distance covered, the number of gifts delivered, and his next location. You can click on the red cap button in the top right corner to pinpoint Santa"s location or navigate the map freely to check out the places he has visited. The tracker also offers a platter of other stuff, including Santa and Christmas-themed puzzles, animated videos, and games you can play on Christmas Eve.