The Gamma Erandi Nebula
The Gamma Erandi Nebula was a stellar nursery with an energy expenditure of 5.34×1041 watts, which was fairly typical of this type of phenomenon. The nebula generated high levels of subspace static, which interfered with nearby subspace communications.
In 2366, the USS Enterprise-D conducted a study of the Gamma Erandi Nebula after attending the biennial Trade Agreements Conference on Betazed. The ambient interference prevented them from receiving a Betazoid message that William T. Riker, Deanna Troi, and Lwaxana Troi were missing until two days after the occurrence. (TNG: "Ménage à Troi")
The script described the appearance of the nebula as "a gaseous interstellar cloud aglow with brilliant light reflected back from its ionized particles. Within are nests of hundreds of embryonic stars, dense globules of nuclear fusion pouring forth light and heat, on the most massive scale imaginable." [1]
