Astronomy usually has that kind of "Lovecraftian" sense of cosmic insignificance when you put things to sacale. Also, being alone at 3am in the middle of nowhere, cold and kind of sleepy, looking at a gas cloud lightyears away, adds to it. But it is also fascinating.
honestly the times I was on a proper telescope, I was shitting myself making sure I made the most of the time going down my list of targets and not getting something wrong and pointing at the wrong star or getting the wrong setting. that and the daemon that had to be restarted every half an hour or so because it crashed. I did not have the energy or time for philosophy. I guess that's the difference between the phd student and the professor haha!