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 200 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.
Materials and Maps
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 |
