Stellar Phenomena

Asteroid Belt
Band of several thousand small bodies revolving around Earth's sun between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.

Asteroid
Small, rocky celestial object, usually much smaller than a planet, often irregularly shaped. They often occur in orbital belts within a star system, sometimes the debris remaining from the formation of that system, other times the fragments remaining from the disintegration of a planet. Larger asteroids are sometimes referred to as planetoids.

Cosmic String Fragment
An almost infinitely thin filament of almost infinitely dense matter. Although a string fragment can exhibit a gravitational pull of a hundred stars, it is no wider than a proton. Cosmic strings emanate a characteristic set of subspace frequencies that are caused by the decay of atomic particles along the string's event horizen.

Dark Matter Nebula
Interstellar gas or dust cloud that emits or reflects little or no detectable light or energy.

Displacement Wave
Spatial phenomenon characterized by a polarized magnetic variation of space.

Distortion Field
Phenomenon present in the atmosphere of planet Nervala IV. The field prevented the use of transporters and shuttles, effectively isolating the planet.

Emission Nebula
Interstellar Dust Cloud that is also a source of electromagnetic radiation. Emission nebulas can prevent cloaking devices from functioning.

Gravimetric Fluctuation
Spatial distortion phenomenon. Gravimetric fluctuations accompanied the appearance of the emporal rift near planet Archer IV. Vaguely resembling a wormhole, the temporal rift exhibited time displacement, but had no discernible event horizon.

Gravimetric Flux Density
Measurement of spatial distortion characters. Very high gravimetric flux density readings may indicate a quantum singularity.

Gravitational Constant
Mathematical expression describing the amount of gravitational attraction that is generated by a given amount of matter. When Enterprise D personnel were trying to prevent the moon of planet Bre'el IV from crashing into the planet, Q suggested that reducing the gravitational constant of the universe might be a good way to reduce the moon's mass enough so the ship's tractor beam could do the job. Unfortunately, Q forgot that adjusting the gravitational constant was a feat beyond the abilities of most mere mortals.

Gravitational Eddy
A backward-circling crrent in a wormhole.

High-Energy Distortion Wave
Cyclic currents discovered within and around a subspace rift that formed in the Hekaras Corridor in 2370. The distortion wave was very dangerous to both the USS Fleming and Enterprise D when both ships were entrapped in the rift. However the crew of the Enterprise D turned the waves to their advantage, using them to literally "surf" out of the rift.

Inversion Nebula
Interstellar cloud populated by highly unstable strands of plasma. Inversion nebulae can be incredibly beautiful, but are so unstable that they normally burn out in a few years.

Magnascopic Storm
Electromagnetic spatial distuption. The Enterprise D passed through a Magnascoptic storm in the Mekorda sector in 2370, when an emergent Life-Form attached itself to the ship's computer system.

Magnetascopic interference
Electromagnetic energy produced by unstable protostars.

Magnetic Storm
Electromagnetic spatial disturbance. In 2373,the Voyager shuttlecraft Scajawea became caught in a magnetic storm and crashed on a planet in a binary system in the Delta Quadrant. Kathryn Janeway was almost killed in the crash.

Micro-Wormhole
A wormhole whose singularity has mostly dissipated, leaving an extremely narrow passageway though subspace. A micro-wormhole was discovered in 2371 by the crew of the Starship Voyager. One terminus of this wormhole was in the Delta Quadrant, while the other was situated across the galaxy in Sector 1385 of the Alpha Quadrant. This particular wormhole also traversed a temporal distance of 20 years, so the Alpha Quadrant terminus was in the year 2351. A microprobe lodged in the wormhole made it possible for the Voyager crew to contact the Romualn ship Talvath in the Alpha Quadrant.

Neutron Star
Stellar body that has been gravitationally crushed to the point where its density is that of nuclear material.

Null space
An extremely rare "pocket" in space created during the formation of a star. The phenomenon is caused by turbulent regions of magnetic and gravitational fields that coalesce into an area that absorbs all electromagnetic energy that enters it. Energy outside the null space is bent around it, making the area invisible to sensors and the naked eye. Long thought to be strictly theoretical, a pocket of null space was discovered near the J'naii planet in 2368 when the shuttle Taris Murn was lost.

Plasma Fields
Energetic plasma distuptions located in the Badlands. These fields were quite extensive and made spaceship navigation difficult.

Plasma Streamer
Gas current flowing through space between one star of a binary pair and the other. The Starship Yosemite encountered quasi-energy microbes living in the plasma streamer between a binary pair in the Igo Sector in 2369.

Protostar
Star in its earliest stages of development, shortly following the start of nuclear fusion. A protostar can emit high levels of magnetascopic interference. In 2373, Worf encountered a cluster of protostars while commanding the Defiant on a scouting mission in the Gamma Quadrant.

Protouniverse
A universe in its early stages of formation. One such universe was found in the Gamma Quadrant and accidentally brought aboard station DS9 in 2370. This protouniverse expanded, threatening station safety by displacing parts of this universe (and the station). Although prudence suggested destroying the protouniverse, sensor studies revealed the possibility that life, possibly even entire civilizations, was evolving within it. The protouniverse was subsequently returned to its original location in the Gamma Quadrant.

Quantum Singularity
Celestial phenomenon caused by the collapse of a neutron star, resulting in an object so dense that neither space-normal matter nor light can escape its gravity. In 2371 a microscopic singularity passed through the Sol system and exploded. The energy emitted by the singularity shifted the chroniton particles into a state of polarization. This caused a subspace bubble to be created around the Starship Defiant that was in Earth orbit at the time. Romulan warbirds employed a forced quantum singularity as a power source. In 2371, temporal displacement waves from a cloaked Romulan ship's quantum singularity interacted with the delta-series radioisotopes in Miles O'Brien's body, causing O'Brien to shift through time. The warbird's quantum singularity also gave off

Quasar
Mysterious quasi-stellar object believed to generate enormous amounts of energy from relatively small amounts of mass. The Enterprise, in 2267, had standing orders to investigate all quasars and quasarlike objects whenever they might be encountered.

Red Dwarf
Small, cool star of spectral type M, near the end of its life.

Rogue Comet
Essentially a huge ball of ice, which has not been captured by the gravitational influences of any solar system. In 2370, the Enterprise D encountered such a comet, which had never before been recorded in any Federation navigational charts. The comet was found to have originated in the D'Arsay system, over 87 million years ago. Sensors showed the comet to be composed of an outer shell of gaseous hydrogen and helium over an icy mantle. The interior of the comet was found to contain the D'Arsay Archive.

Sector
In interstellar mapping, a volume of space approximately twenty lightyears across. A typical sector in Federation space will contain about 6-10 star systems, although sectors toward the galaxy core will contain many more. The Milky Way Galaxy is divided into hundreds of thousands of sectors, grouped into four quadrants. Sectors are usually numbered, although in common usage they are often named for a major star or planet located in that sector.

Soliton Wave
Nondispersing wavefront of subspace distortion. Soliton waves were studied as an experimental means of faster-than-light spacecraft propulsion by Dr Ja'Dar of planet Bilana III. Planet-based soliton-wave generators created a nondispersing wavefront of subspace distortion, which a space vehicle could "ride" like a terrestrial surfboard.

Spatial Scission
A divergence of subspace fields. Spatial scissions can cause a small region of space, and any matter in it, to be duplicated. A spatial scission in the Delta Quadrant caused the Starship Voyager to be duplicated in 2372. The commander of the duplicate Voyager order her ship destroyed so that the original ship would be safe.

Subspace Compression
Phenomenon resulting from differential field-potential values in nearvy portions of the same warp field. Subspace compression can cuase different parts of an object to have different inertial densities, resulting in structural strain on the object. In severe cases, subspace comspression can tear an object apart at the subatomic level. Depending on relative field symmetries, subspace compression can also cause numerous other, often unpredictable, side effects.

Subspace Field Distortions
Phenomena that generally indicate the presence of a warp-propulsion system. The Cytherian probe encountered by the Enterprise D in 2367 did not create any detectable field distortions and its method of propulsion remained a mystery.

Subspace Funnel
Subspace link between two points in normal space. Geordi LaForge suggested that the trionic initiators in the USS Hera's warp core might have created a subspace funnel between her last reported position and Marijne VII.

Subspace Instabilities
Area of weakness in the fabric of normal space. Areas demonstrating subspace instabilities were more prone to the warp field effect.

Subspace Interphase Pocket
Localized section of space whre subspace intrudes into normal space. In 2370, the runabout Mekong intercepted one such pocket and accidentally removed a rapidly expanding protouniverse from the area.

Subspace Inversion
Spectacular phenomenon in which subspace near a wormhole becomes fragmented. The Bajoran wormhole undergoes a subspace inversion every 50 years. In 2372 the staff of Deep Space 9 took the Starship Defiant to the Gamma Quadrant to observe the wormhole undergo this process. It was during that trip that an engine-room accident occurred that almost pulled Benjamin Sisko into subspace.

Subspace Rift
The extrusion of subspace into normal space over a discernable event horizon. The cumulative exposure of warp-field energy to susceptible areas of space was thought to cause these rifts to form.

Subspace Rupture
Huge swirling anomaly that draws surrounding matter into a central vortex. A subspace rupture was discovered in the Hanoli system in 2169 by a Vulcan ship. An elevated thoron reading near Deep Space 9 in 2369 was initially theorized by Dax to be a similar phenomenon, but this was later found to be incorrect.

Subspace Shock Wave
Powerful energy front generated by a massive energy discharge. A subspace shock wave was created when Praxis, a moon of the Klingon Homeworld, exploded in 2293, causing severe damage to the homeworld, as well as to the nearby Starship Excelsior.

Subspace Transition Rebound
Phenomenon associated with the use of folded-space transport devices such as those employed by the ansata terrorists of planet Rutia IV. An adaptive subspace echogram was found to measure the rebound phenomenon with sufficient accuracy to locate the Ansata headquarters, despite the fact that folded-space transport was virtually undetectable with conventional sensors.

Subspace Vacoule
Short-lived interspatial passageway. Subspace vaoules occurred naturally on the Vhnori homeworld, linking that planet to an area of space near a ringed planet in the Delta Quadrant.

Subspace
Spatial continuum with significantly different properties from our own, a fundamental part of warp drive. Warp-drive starships employ a subspace generator to create the asymmetrical distortion necessary for the vessel to travel faster than the speed of light. Subspace is also used as a medium for subspace radio transmissions.

Supernova
A star, near the end of its life, that collapses due to hydrogen deletion, briefly igniting a violent fusion explosion of helium and other elements. The luminosity of a supernovae can increase by a factor of hundreds of millions for a brief period. Supernovas are very rare, and only a few starship crews have ever witnessed one. The crew of the original USS Enterprise witnessed two, Minara in 2268 and Beta Niobe in 2269. An unusual number of supernovas exploded in 2373, a side effect of a civil war occurring in the Q Continuum.

Tachyon Eddies
Interstellar currents of tachyon particles. Tachyon Eddies in the Denorios Belt were believed responsible for sweeping ancient Bjoran Solar-Sail Vessels across interstellar distances some eight centuries ago. This phenomenon was demonstrated in 2371 when Benjamin Sisko built a replica of these ships and was swept at warp speeds to Cardassia by tachyon eddies.

Theta Flux Distortion
Spatial phenomenon. The Enterprise D's sensors were not designed to detect theta flux distortions. Such distortions can rupture warp cores if they grow large enough and come in contact with a ship.

Wormhole
A subspace bridge (or tunnel) between two points in "normal" time and space. Most wormholes are extremely unstable, and their endpoints fluctuate widely across time and space. An improperly balanced warp-drive system can create an artificial wormhole that can spose a serious danger to the ship and its crew.