What 12-foot-wide illuminated object drops in Times Square at midnight on New Year’s Eve?
Answer
Times Square Ball
The 12-foot-wide illuminated object that drops in Times Square at midnight is the Times Square Ball.
The current ball is a geodesic sphere covered with illuminated Waterford Crystal panels and LED lighting. It is lowered from the flagpole atop One Times Square during the final minute of December 31, completing its descent at midnight.
The ball’s size and design have changed repeatedly since the first drop in 1907. The 2008 ball was 12 feet in diameter and weighed nearly 12,000 pounds, making it dramatically larger than the original five-foot ball.
The Times Square Ball is often confused with the New Year’s Eve event itself, but the object has a specific name. It is also not a globe representing the Earth; its design is a decorative, illuminated time-ball tradition adapted for modern broadcasting.