Typhon Expanse

The Typhon Expanse is a vast area of space infamous for its numerous temporal distortions that can occur without warning. Situated in the Beta Quadrant near Romulan space, the Expanse exists as a gas-like phenomena that covers or partially covers several sectors. Of these, the Typhon and Pi Hydrae Sectors are the most travelled, but ships typically avoid the area if at all possible.

The Expanse is believed to have been formed by the implosion of a trinary star system, although that is purely speculation as research continues. Initially discovered by Starfleet in 2263, serious scientific study on the region did not begin until 2368. That year, the USS Enterprise-D undertook initial investigations, which here cut short when the USS Bozeman emerged from the Expanse. The Bozeman was reported as lost in 2278 after it entered the area, but in fact was caught in one of the Expanse's temporal distortions. (TNG: "Cause and Effect")

Once the Federation began to colonize Azandria---a planet less than a half a light year from the Expanse---in the late 2370s, research into the phenomena began in earnest.