Saturn is definitely one of my favorite telescopic targets. It is a tough one to image in detail, though. It is currently 8.825 AU away (or 1.31 billion kilometers, for those who prefer metric) and that means that the planet itself (not the rings) subtends an angle of only 19 arcminutes (0.32 degrees). Even at 308X magnification (which is what my telescope (1540mm focal length) plus my Neximage webcam (5mm focal length) give, that's still an awfully small image. Also consider that 300X magnification is getting quite close to both the theoretical limits of my 127mm telescope, and to the best that can be expected from the Earth's turbulent atmosphere.
That's why the nice image isn't a thumbnail -- that's "actual size" in terms of pixels on my webcam.
This image is the best I was able to tease out of 30 minutes of imaging. I learned a valuable lesson: a webcam's "automatic" imaging settings are very poorly suited to small, dim objects on a very black background.
You can clearly see the shadow of the rings on the planet, and the shadow of the planet on the rings. You can also pick out a hint of a cloud band in the lower hemisphere. The Encke gap between the rings is not visible. It is small enough that it exceeds the resolution of my telescope. Larger amateur instruments (twice the diameter) can resolve it.
Image taken on April 9, 2006 between 10:00pm and 10:30pm EDT. 127mm f/12.1 telescope with a 5mm focal length Neximage webcam. Processing in Registax.
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