Neil deGrasse Tyson Explains Why We Have a New Year's Ball Drop

Why do we drop a ball in Times Square on New Year’s Eve? Neil deGrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice explore this New Year’s tradition and its connection to astrophysicists, the stars, and ocean navigation. Where did the ball drop come from? To figure this out, we take a dive back in time to the creation of different timezones, latitude, and longitude. Why is it so hard to figure out longitude? Find out how we determined the prime meridian and how ocean navigators used the stars to determine their position on the open sea. Learn about how ships keep accurate time and how the ball drop came to be. Would we have this NYE tradition if it weren’t for early ocean travel? Get the NEW Cosmic Queries book (5/5 ⭐s on Amazon!): https://amzn.to/3dYIEQF Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/startalkradio FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE to StarTalk: Twitter: http://twitter.com/startalkradio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StarTalk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startalk About StarTalk: Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up! #StarTalk #neildegrassetyson 00:00 - The NYE ball drop 4:18 - Prime Meridian, Longitude, & Latitude 9:35 - Nautical timekeeping & Syncing Clocks 14:30 - The NYC Tradition