When it comes to tracking Santa Clause, once a year NORAD (previously CONAD) pulls out all the stops in it’s arsenal of technology to provide up to the minute tracking, answering emails and manning a hotline to keep children “in the know” as to the whereabouts of Santa Clause.

NORAD uses four main high-tech systems to track Santa during his annual journey. The first of these systems is the NORAD radar which is used to indicate the initial departure of Santa from the North Pole.

After departure, they rely on existing missile detection satellites to track the movements of Santa, but in actuality they are tracking Rudolph (Santa’s lead flying reindeer) since Rudolph’s nose puts off an infrared signature similar to that of a missile.

The third system involves high speed digital cameras (Santa Cams) that are placed around the world and used only once a year to produce still and video images of Santa as he makes his journey.

The fourth point of detection is done through fighter jets that are used to welcome and escort Santa and his reindeer at different points in his trip. CF-18’s from Canada and F-16’s from the US are used to fly alongside the sleigh and also have Santa Cam’s attached to deliver real-time photos of Santa’s progress.

The actual tracking begins on Christmas eve, and the Norad Tracks Santa web site shows the countdown until that time. NORAD (and previously CONAD) has been tracking Santa for over 50 years, and the NoradSanta.org website has received over 48 million page views this year since November 17th. Last year the site got over 900 page views in total.

This year blizzards at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado threatened to hamper some of the tracking capabilities but appear to not be a factor in this years tracking according to a NORAD press release on the Santa Tracking.