What material covered the 2000 Times Square Ball used for New Year's Eve in New York City?

Waterford Crystal covered the 2000 Times Square Ball used for New Year's Eve in New York City.

The 2000 ball was a major redesign created for the millennium celebration. Waterford Crystal panels were arranged on a geodesic sphere and illuminated from within. The ball measured six feet in diameter and weighed about 1,070 pounds, making it much larger and heavier than the original 1907 ball.

The design used 504 triangular crystal panels, with 168 halogen bulbs providing illumination. Its crystal pattern was called the “Star of Hope,” one of several themes used in the ball's long-running visual development. The 2000 ball was lowered at the end of the year 1999, welcoming the year 2000 at midnight.

Later Times Square Balls changed in size, lighting technology, and panel design. The 2008 ball, for example, was larger and used LED lighting, while subsequent versions incorporated additional Waterford Crystal patterns. These changes can cause confusion between the millennium ball and the current ball, but the 2000 version is specifically associated with Waterford Crystal and the Star of Hope.