#  Ryan Chornock 

Postdoctoral Fellow

2009-2014

Currently an Assistant Professor at Ohio University

 

 

 



   ![pan-starrs.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum6566/files/styles/hwp_4_5__480x600/public/eberger/files/pan-starrs.jpg?itok=8xYBYfII) 

 



 





 

I am interested in the many transient and time-variable objects which populate our universe. Most of my work has centered on energetic cosmic explosions in the form of supernovae and gamma-ray bursts. I am currently heavily involved in Pan-STARRS, which is surveying the sky nightly from Haleakala on Maui, and in the spectroscopic followup of new discoveries from it. In particular, Pan-STARRS has proven to be a good source for finding the most luminous supernovae known. I am actively studying these objects in an attempt to understand what makes these objects so luminous relative to normal supernovae and why a small fraction of massive stars end their lives in such a manner. In addition, Pan-STARRS provides a rich dataset for the discovery of other rare or unusual objects, such as tidal disruptions of stars by the supermassive black holes which reside in the centers of galaxies. I completed my PhD at UC Berkeley.



 

 

 





 

 

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     [2009](/title/2009) [Postdoctoral Fellows](/title/postdoctoral-fellow)