Where In The World Is Santa Claus?

Where in the world is Mr. Claus this very moment on this very day?

Children and parents the world over want to know.

To determine Santa’s whereabouts, Patch went directly to the professionals.

For the past 50 years, NORAD and its predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD), have tracked Santa Claus as he travels the world on Christmas Eve.

According to NORAD’s own website, the command center uses four high-tech systems to monitor the jolly old elf’s journey: radar, satellites, Santa cam and fighter jets – once he has entered the United States’ airspace.

Beginning on Dec. 24, NORAD staffers watch radar systems continuously to see when Santa departs from the North Pole. Once he begins his magical flight, the official tracking begins.

All data is then forwarded to Google Maps and Google Earth so families throughout the world can follow Santa’s travels on the Internet.

For the latest surveillance of Santa Claus and his journey, children and parents should log onto the NORAD home website or watch 3-D images of the 2011 flight on Google Earth.

Don’t forget to leave some cookies for the big guy, and sprinkle reindeer food for Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen...and Rudolph!