If any children in your life are getting older and beginning to doubt the existence of Santa, Christmas Eve could be the perfect day to restore their faith.

From 4:42pm to 4:50pm on 24 December, the International Space Station will be visible over the UK - bearing a strong resemblance to Santa's flying sleigh, weighed down with presents.

The ISS orbits at a height of around 250 miles, and measures around 110 metres in length - it'll be hard to spot, but it won't be impossible.

Stargazers looking to get a glimpse of the space station should keep their eyes peeled for a fast-moving object with no flashing lights - it's easy to mistake for a bright star or a distant plane, but its speed and unusual light should make it recognisable.

The ISS makes a full orbit of Earth every 92 minutes, so it's possible to see it from the UK fairly regularly.

Astronauts Catherine Coleman, Scott Kelly and Paolo Nespoli (L-R) and their mini Christmas tree appear in a Christmas broadcast from the ISS in 2010 (NASA via Getty Images)

However, thanks to a bit of good timing, the ISS will appear fairly bright and high in the sky in the run-up to Christmas, making it easier to spot than it is at the moment.

On Christmas Eve, it'll start rising in the West before setting on the South East - amateur astronomers can find the exact position where the ISS will emerge by using Nasa's 'Spot the Station' tool.

Even if you don't believe in Santa, it's worth sparing a thought for the astronauts orbiting in the space station - on Christmas Eve, Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko and American astronaut Scott Kelly will be marking their 271st day in space, with another couple of months to go before their year-long ISS mission comes to an end.

Also on board will be American astronaut Kjell Lindgren, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui, and two Russian cosmonauts, Oleg Kononenko and Sergey Volkov.