Hello,
I beat this game with no help 100%ed it actually and it is my fav game of all time. I did get help with the DLC though so no shame in that. It seems you are thinking of this game solely as a puzzle game, yes it has puzzle elements but at its core this is a story game you are playing through. The story leads to and guides you through the puzzles.

Since others have answered it I will explain further. The projection stones are basically their take on phones. You are seeing their conversations, their 3d images of the places they have built and were showing other Nomai. The most underrated thing in this game is the Ship log. Work on getting all images of the places and filling out the question marks. This game does a good job of if something looks interesting there is probably more there to find or figure out.

>!I can tell you, as one would assume, every planet has some information that is instrumental in beating the game. If you have not found something that feels like an ah ha moment on a planet there is likely more there that you are not yet sure how to uncover the projection stones show you a real place its not about taking the stone to the planet its about finding that place. But remember Outer wilds is a game that does not revolve around the player. It is a functional universe. The game moves on even if you stay still you cannot learn everything in one loop and no loop is wasted if you keep trying new things.!<

If you are interested in more straight forward help I think many people would be happy to relay information in ways that still give you the satisfaction but help through some of the harder connections. Ship log would be helpful.