Danilo F. Rocha

About me

My name is Danilo Ferreira, and I am currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Laboratório Nacional de Astrofísica (LNA), Brazil. I work in observational stellar astrophysics, with a focus on massive stars, particularly Be stars and hierarchical multiple systems, using photometric, spectroscopic, and interferometric data in the optical and near-infrared. I hold a PhD in Astronomy from the Observatório Nacional (2025), including a research internship at the Observatoire de Paris (2024), as well as an MSc in Astrophysics and a BSc in Physics. Alongside research, I am actively involved in science outreach and education. Outside academia, I enjoy listening to music (MPB and Brazilian rock), going to the beach, and playing electronic games.

Research Interests

My research interests covers all observational domains of massive-star physics, from their cores to their environments, as well as space instrumentation:

Massive stars: Seismology (pulsations), rotation, mixing, and internal structure.
Binary and multiple systems: Orbital dynamics, eclipsing binaries, hierarchical triples, dynamical interactions (e.g., Kozai–Lidov cycles), and stellar parameter determination.
Be phenomenon: Mass ejections, circumstellar disks and clouds, angular momentum transport.
Techniques: Spectroscopy and photometry across all wavelengths (IR, optical, UV, and X-ray), observations and modelling.
Scientific programming and computational modeling: Development of Python tools for photometric and spectroscopic analysis, including a custom interface to the Wilson–Devinney code with emcee for parameter estimation, as well as spectral modeling and radial velocity extraction in binary and multiple stellar systems.

Selected Publications

Rocha, D. F. et al. (2026). The Triple System V1371 Tau: An Eclipsing Binary with an Outer Be Star. ApJ, 996, 61. DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/ae1d57
Kokori, A. et al., including Rocha, D. F. (2026). ExoClock Project IV: A homogeneous catalogue of 620 updated exoplanet ephemerides. ApJS, 283, 5. DOI: 10.3847/1538-4365/ae3238
Sana, H. et al., including Rocha, D. F. (2025). A high fraction of close massive binary stars at low metallicity. Nature Astronomy, 9, 1337–1346. DOI: 10.1038/s41550-025-02610-x
Shenar, T. et al., including Rocha, D. F. (2024). Binarity at LOw Metallicity (BLOeM): A spectroscopic VLT monitoring survey of massive stars in the SMC. A&A, 690, A289. DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/202451586
Rocha, D. F. et al. (2022). Distance and age of the massive stellar cluster Westerlund 1–II: The eclipsing binary W36. MNRAS, 517(3), 3749–3762. DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stac2927

Personal Gallery - People, meetings and outreach

My journey in science communication began in high school, around 2010, alongside Professor Carlos Argolo, helping to promote rocket launches in Alagoas. Since then, presenting and discussing science with people in a playful and relaxed way has become one of my passions.

During my undergraduate studies in physics, I had the opportunity to be a monitor at Usina Ciência-UFAL thanks to Professor Antônio Ornellas, where I traveled to underprivileged communities throughout the state presenting physics experiments, operating community telescopes and planetariums, and promoting physics and astronomy education for students of all ages.

Over the years, I have been actively involved in national initiatives such as the Brazilian Astronomy and Astronautics Olympiad (OBA), teacher training programs, and international collaborations in astronomy. Currently, as a qualified astronomer, I continue to seek to connect cutting-edge research in astrophysics with society through lectures, workshops, and public engagement activities.

🔗 Observatório Nacional – News about the triple systems V1371 Tau
🎙️ Spotify – Outreach activity / Podcast - Triple systems V1371
🎥 YouTube – Outreach activity / Binary Systems: Life and Death of Sister Stars