The New Year’s Eve Ball in New York City’s Times Square is illuminated by 32,256 LED lights. These lights are arranged across the ball’s crystal panels and can produce a wide range of colors and effects during the annual celebration.
The modern ball, introduced for the 2008 celebration, is 12 feet (3.7 meters) in diameter and weighs nearly 12,000 pounds. It was designed by Waterford Crystal and contains thousands of crystal panels, with the LEDs positioned beneath them.
The lighting system is far more advanced than the original ball used in 1907. Earlier versions relied on incandescent bulbs, while the current design uses energy-efficient LEDs controlled to create changing patterns. The ball is lowered from the flagpole atop One Times Square shortly before midnight, completing its descent at the start of the new year.