Track Santa’s journey in Google Earth
by Google Earth Blog on Dec.24, 2010, under 3D Models, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, California, Denmark, England, Germany, Google Earth News, Google Earth Tips, Google Sky, Google maps, Hawaii, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Natural Landmarks, Netherlands, Sightseeing, Street Views, USA
By the time you read this, Santa will have already begun his journey around the world, starting around 2:00am EST today. His journey will be tracked using a variety of methods including satellites, radar and fighter jets.
You can view the main Santa tracker here
, but read on for other ways to follow his journey throughout the day.
If you missed the chance to watch his journey last year, here is a highlight reel that Google has put together:
There are a lot of great ways to follow him on his journey, thanks to the folks at NORAD and some help from Google:
Watch his progress on Google Maps. Visit noradsanta.org to see a map of his location and his next scheduled stop.
• Watch him fly by using the Google Earth Plug-in. Visit the "Track in Google Earth" page to watch Santa fly by using the Google Earth Plug-in. Last year, I fired up this page on my netbook, placed it up on the mantle, and we kept a close eye on Santa all day long.
• Follow his progress on your phone. Search for [santa] in Google Maps for Mobile, or visit m.noradsanta.org from your phone to track his progress while you're on the go.
• Follow him on other services, such as his YouTube channel, Twitter account and Facebook Page.
As another fun bonus, Google has just added a Santa hat to "Pegman" (the Street View character) in Google Maps. He doesn't change the functionality of Google Maps at all, but just makes things a bit more festive!
Also, Google has built a variety of custom online holiday cards for you to send to your family and friends. You can see them all at googlemapsholidays.appspot.com. It uses a fun combination of winter images and Google Maps to create a fun card for you to send.