As they prepare to hang their stockings by the fire excited children might be able to spot something that looks like Santa flying over Chester on his way to deliver presents this Christmas Eve.
Gaze up
to the sky this evening and you might catch a glimpse of the International Space Station (ISS) passing over the city.
The space station, which will be visible to the UK, could be mistaken for the jolly Saint Nick as he makes his way to chimneys across the world in time for the big day.
But you will have to be quick not to miss it, as the station will only be visible for six minutes from 5.22pm on December 24.
According to the NASA website the station will be visible in the night sky above Chester for four minutes at 5.22pm and two minutes at 6.58pm tonight.
And with clear skies forecast for the night before Christmas you could have a good chance of seeing the spacecraft despite it travelling around 17,000 miles per hour, more than 200 miles above the Earth’s surface, at is passes overhead.
Apparently it can be easy to mistake the ISS for other aircraft, but the spacecraft is recognisable as it has no flashing lights and moves faster.
The best viewing opportunities will be from places with little light pollution, like the countryside or a large local park. It is best to go outside a few minutes early to let your eyes adjust to the dark.
The space station is the length of a rugby pitch, and over the past 14 years has been home to more than 200 astronauts from eight countries.
Its current crew is made up of two American men, two men and one woman from Russia, and one Italian woman.
In a Christmas video message, released this week, the Commander Barry Wilmore and Flight Engineer Terry Virts appeared floating alongside a Christmas tree, with festive stockings hung in the background.
“We want to take the opportunity just briefly to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Christmas for us is a time of worship," said Commander Wilmore.
"It’s a time we think back to the birth of what we would consider our Lord.
"We do that at our homes and we plan to do the same thing up here and take just a little bit of time to reflect on those topics. And also just like the wise men gave gifts we have a couple of gifts, you’ll notice stockings behind us here. So we have a couple of gifts for each other and we will share in that as well.”
