What was the biggest discovery in the field of astrophysics in the last decade?
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In the last decade (2011-2021), the biggest discovery in the field of astrophysics was the first-ever image of a black hole, captured by the Event Horizon Telescope in April 2019. This image confirmed the existence of supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies, and provided a new way to study the universe.
One of the biggest discoveries in the field of astrophysics in the last decade was the first direct detection of gravitational waves by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) in 2015. This confirmed a prediction made by Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity and opened a new window to study the universe. Since then, several other gravitational wave events have been detected, providing insights into the properties of neutron stars and black holes, as well as the origins of gamma-ray bursts and other cosmological phenomena.