I Stared at the Data Until I Saw Nothing

I spent 100 hours staring at the same patch of sky, hoping the universe would finally show me something real. The cosmic web—everyone talks about it like it’s some elegant skeleton, but most days it just feels like chasing ghosts. I ran the numbers, checked the spectra, mapped the filament pixel by pixel. It’s supposed to be a breakthrough. But all I remember is the silence after the telescope shut down. The glow on the screen looked like hope, but I couldn’t feel it. I thought seeing the web would make the struggle worth it. Instead, I just felt how thin I’d become, stretched between deadlines and the next observation cycle. We caught the filament. But I’m still waiting to feel like I belong here. #ScienceFatigue #ImposterInTheRoom #LabBurnout #Science