NYC's New Year's Eve ball gets new crystal

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A new Times Square New Year's Eve Ball was unveiled at Hudson Scenic Studios. The new ball is a 12 ft. geodesic sphere. It is double the size of previous balls. It weighs 11,875 pounds. It is covered in 2,668 Waterford Crystals. It is powered by 32,256 Philips Luxeon Rebel LED's. The new ball can create more than 16 million vibrant colors. It will be displayed all year on top of 1 Times Square.

Story Created: Dec 27, 2009 at 6:10 PM EDT

Story Updated: Dec 27, 2009 at 6:10 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) - The New Year's Eve crystal ball that drops in
New York's Times Square is getting a makeover to ring in 2010.

Celebration organizers unveiled a new design Sunday for nearly 300 Waterford crystal triangles to be installed on the giant ball. The crystals feature an interlocking ribbon pattern, woven into a Celtic knot, to illustrate the theme "Let There Be Courage."

One of the event's producers, Jeffrey Straus of Countdown Entertainment, says the knot's looping design evokes the yellow ribbons that welcome soldiers home or red ribbons for AIDS awareness.

The triangles are custom-built to withstand high winds, snow, rain and temperature fluctuations in their spot 400 feet above Times Square.

The ball-drop tradition dates to 1907.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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