Gosh, so embarrassing! Why would you show this?? I asked Webb NOT to take that pic but he didn't listen, and now it's -- oh, this is about the PLANET.. ah.. haha.. ahem.. just forget everything I said! Carry on!
A circle can appear like an ellipse if you view it from an angle; i.e., looking at a circle tilted in perspective can cause it to seem stretched or compressed along one axis.
Yes, I am aware of that, thanks. So the answer to my original question, the fact that the view was essentially from a polar aspect, is perhaps that either the rings are slanted relative to the pole or that the view is not centred over them?
Comments
I love geek humor
My anus is covered at all times.
https://math.stackexchange.com/questions/3103023/viewing-a-circle-from-different-angles-is-the-result-always-an-ellipse
https://www.nature.com/articles/272148a0