Interesting picture. Perhaps there is some sort of optical distortion, but I thought the rings of Saturn and the bands of Jupiter were both aligned with the plane of the solar system.
By the way, as a kid, I always thought *that* was the way you would be able to view the planets using a backyard portable telescope. I was so disappointed to see them as little more than larger white “stars”. I did once go to a neighbor’s house where they had a serious amateur telescope complete with electronic tracking and even with that fancy setup, Saturn’s rings were barely discernible.
Our view of Saturn definitely changes as we both orbit the Sun. Sometimes the orientation is more aligned with the plane of the solar system than at other times.
Odd. I have seen Saturn’s rings as distinct,albeit a tiny image,using a modest 70mmx900mm refractor. Practically same with a 90mm f13 Maksutov. With a 10” reflector Saturn showed pastel bands and the two main rings separate .
The tilt of the rings varies over a 22? year cycle.
Jupiter’s four Galilean moons need only a modest scope or good binoculars,and a few more appear using 8” and bigger scopes. But you can tell them from stars only by referring to current charts.
I got only a few minutes of viewing the Grand Conjunction through a brief patch of clear in a 99+% cloudy sky.