The current Times Square New Year's Eve Ball has 2,688 illuminated panels.
The panels are triangular crystal pieces arranged across the ball's geodesic surface. They are designed to refract light from the LEDs inside, producing the bright, multicolored appearance seen during the midnight descent in Manhattan.
The present ball was introduced for the 2008 celebration and is much larger than the earlier versions used during the ceremony. It is about 12 feet, or 3.7 meters, in diameter and weighs nearly six tons. Waterford supplied the crystal panels used in the modern design.
A common mix-up is to confuse the panel count with the ball's LED count or its weight. The panel number refers specifically to the visible crystal triangles, while the lighting system contains many individual light-emitting diodes. The ball remains on display at One Times Square for most of the year.