When the 76th annual televised tree lighting ceremony took place on 3 December, a huge star, weighing some 360kgs and made of stainless steel from ThyssenKrupp Nirosta in Krefeld, Germany, topped The Rockefeller Plaza Christmas tree. The star, designed by the internationally renowned German artist Michael Hammers, is adorned with 25,000 glittering crystals. Michael Hammers studios also planned the ornament and manufactured it in conjunction with Christian Pohl GmbH of Cologne. As in past years, the star, which measures 3m in diameter, was assembled on site by the Michael Hammers Studios in mid-November and lifted to the top of the 25-meter-plus spruce by crane. The star first shone out over New York in 2004.
