The dedication ceremony of the Sagan Planet Walk -- an outdoor, permanent scale model of the solar system spread over three-quarters of a mile -- is slated for Saturday, Nov. 8 at 10:30 a.m. in the atrium of Center Ithaca on the Ithaca Commons. The planet walk is named after Carl Sagan, the late Cornell University professor, astronomer, author and television personality.

The festivities will begin with scheduled speakers New York State Sen. James Seward (R-50th); New York State Assemblyman Martin Luster (D-125th); Ithaca Mayor Alan Cohen; Charles Trautmann, executive director of the Sciencenter and principal coordinator of the Sagan Planet Walk; and Bill Nye, host of a popular children's science series on Public Broadcasting Service and a former student of Sagan's. The monument representing the sun will be unveiled at 11:45 a.m. by Ann Druyan, Sagan's wife and longtime collaborator.

The solar system model stretches from the sun on the Ithaca Commons to Pluto at the Sciencenter, an Ithaca science museum 1,200 meters away. The Planet Walk consists of 10 monument stations, one for each of the nine planets and one for the sun. These monuments are approximately 6-feet high and are accurately spaced on a scale of one to five billion.

After the unveiling, graduate students and postdoctoral associates from the Cornell Department of Astronomy each will lead a group on the walk through the planets to the Sciencenter, on whose board Sagan participated.

Later in the day, at 1:30 p.m., a public reception will be held at the Sciencenter. Speakers will include Druyan, Nye and Louis Friedman, director of The Planetary Society, Pasadena, Calif. A raffle will be held for two tickets for a 12-day cruise through the Panama Canal, donated by Royal Olympic Cruises of New York.

EDITORS: Press kits for the Sagan Planet Walk are available from Alison Karrh, public relations manager of the Sciencenter, by calling (607) 272-0600. The kits include a history of the Sagan Planet Walk, media information, a biography of Sagan, the artist/designer's statement and general Sciencenter information. Also, please contact Karrh if you are interested in sending a member of your staff to cover the event.

Sagan, who died on Dec. 20, 1996, would have been 63 on Nov. 9, was the David Duncan Professor of Astronomy and Space Sciences at Cornell. The Planet Walk was named for Sagan in recognition of his contributions to the Sciencenter and his efforts in the study of space science. During his career, in addition to honors for his scientific scholarship, Sagan was the recipient of three Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award and the Pulitzer Prize. He is the author of numerous books, including Contact, which was made this year into a movie of the same name.

Designed by local artist Erin Caruth, each planet station of the Sagan Planet Walk will feature high-resolution color spacecraft images of the planet on porcelain-enamel signs. In addition, the relative size of each planet in relation to the sun is demonstrated. Physical characteristics of the planets will be portrayed by pictographs, with unique features described in text illustrated by NASA color photographs.

The sun and Pluto monuments are polished blue-pearl granite with sandblasted images of symbols related to the seasons, stars and planets that can be used by teachers to stimulate school group discussions. The other eight planet monuments are pre-cast concrete.

Visitors may purchase a "Passport to the Solar System" on the day of the ceremony to use as they embark on their 1,200-meter walk. These passports provide interesting facts about each planet and the sun, while posing questions to encourage discussion. Using these as their guide, visitors are invited to stop at each planet station to read the information provided in the passport and to have their passport stamped as proof of their "visit" to each planet. Each stamp will be a Greek symbol corresponding to the sun or planet visited. Volunteers will sell the passports for $1 each on the Ithaca Commons from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Sciencenter attracts over 50,000 visitors annually and is the only community-built science museum in the world. The museum provides 100 hands-on exhibits emphasizing the process and principles of science. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Admission is $3.50 for children 4 through 12, $4.50 for teens and adults and free to Sciencenter members and children under the age of 4. For more information, call (607) 272-0600.