This artwork by Julian Baum shows Voyager s view of Uranus twelve hours after its closest approach to the planet on Jan Uranus is one of the four great gas giants It is unique in that its equator along with its moons and tenuous ring system is tilted at degrees to the plane of the Solar System Because of this Voyagers encounter with the planet and its satellites lasted only about six hours It also means that in alternate seasons Uranus poles and equator in turn face the Sun Uranus orbits the Sun once in years and at present the planets south pole faces the Sun in the midst of a year long summer