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Track Santa on his way to Kent

Has Santa left the North Pole yet? Find out courtesy Uncle Sam.

Posted Wed, Dec 21, 2011 at 9:09 pm ET|Updated Fri, Dec 23, 2011 at 7:28 pm ET

No need to check the skies of Kent tonight to see if the Jolly Old Elf is on his way.

You can find out at NORAD Tracks Santa, a website that keeps tabs on Santa's progress with official military tracking equipment.

The site also uses Google Earth for a 3-D look at Santa's sleigh during his journey.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) usually uses its high-tech tracking powers to watch for air and missile attacks.

But on Christmas Eve, the government agency adds Santa tracking to its list of duties.

It uses four high-tech systems to track Santa – radar, satellites, Santa cams and fighter jets. It's technical, so check out the site for the official explanation.