Do you have a little one who would get a real kick out of seeing Father Christmas careening across the night sky on his sleigh?

Well you can do just that, and you don’t need a powerful telescope or radar tracking equipment to do it. You just need to go outside at the right time, and know where to look.

The International Space Station, orbiting the Earth at an altitude of around 200 miles and travelling at 17,500mph, appears as a bright dot streaking across the sky.

The incredibly bright star-like object moves rapidly without blinking lights, and is often the second brightest object behind the moon.

It will be making several passes over the UK in the days leading up to Christmas, meaning parents can point “Santa” out to their bewitched children as he makes his last-minute arrangements before the big day.

Last year the space station timed its movements perfectly, appearing in our skies on Christmas Eve.

This year unfortunately we will not see a repeat on the night before Christmas. It will however be visible between 5pm and 5.03pm on Wednesday December 21, passing low in the sky from west to east.

It will also be making a higher pass on Monday December 19, again passing from west to east between 5.07pm and 5.10pm.

Keep your eyes peeled as it can be difficult to spot at first, but often gets brighter.