Sagan Planet Walk
The Sagan Planet Walk is a walking scale model of the solar system, extending 1.2 km from the center of The Commons in downtown Ithaca, NY, to the Sciencenter, a hands-on museum featuring over 250 exhibits.
The exhibition was created in memory of Ithaca resident and Cornell Professor Carl Sagan by the Sciencenter in 1997. Professor Sagan had been a founding member of the museum's advisory board and was instrumental in developing the institution's educational philosophy.
Free Audio Tour
You can now download and listen to a free audio tour of the Sagan Planet Walk on your computer, iPod or mp3 player. More information and instructions are available on the Sagan Planet Walk Podcast Page.
Passport to the Solar System
Purchase a "Passport to the Solar System" for $4 and take your fully stamped passport to the Sciencenter to receive one free admission.
You can also download the "Passport to the Solar System" for free below. Please note that the downloadable passports do not qualify for free admission to the Sciencenter.
- Download the "Passport to the Solar System"
- Download the Teacher's Edition of the "Passport to the Solar System." You may use this version to make Xerox copies for your class.
Map
Archive: Dedication and Press Releases
History, Biography & Addendums
Project Design Measurements
| OBJECT | Orbit Radius (kilometers) |
Object Diameter |
Scaled Orbit Radius (meters) | Scaled Object Diameter (millimeters) |
| Sun | 0 | 1,392,000 | 0 | 278 |
| Mercury | 58,000,000 | 4,980 | 12 | 1.0 |
| Venus | 108,000,000 | 12,360 | 22 | 2.5 |
| Earth | 150,000,000 | 12,742 | 30 | 2.5 |
| Mars | 228,000,000 | 6,760 | 46 | 1.4 |
| Jupiter | 778,000,000 | 142,600 | 156 | 28.5 |
| Saturn | 1,430,000,000 | 120,600 | 286 | 24.1 |
| Uranus | 2,870,000,000 | 47,000 | 574 | 9.4 |
| Neptune | 4,490,000,000 | 44,600 | 898 | 8.9 |
| Pluto | 5,900,000,000 | 2,274 | 1,180 | 0.4 |
