Saturn...is it my imagination?

Last year delivered fantastic views of Saturn! I remember on several occasions being able to see the Cassini division as if it were inked in black, and the rings were clear all the way around the disk.

If I am not mistaken our perspective this year has been markedly different. I have found it much more difficult to resolve Cassini, and it appears much finer. The rings disappear behind the planet, rather than the planet being suspended in the center of the rings.

Has anyone else noticed this?

The rings go through a multi-year cycle of 'open' and 'closed' (i.e. edge-on) phases as viewed from Earth. The rings are starting to close compared to last year, and as a result detail within the rings will get progressively harder to see over the next few years, until they start to open again.