The Volterra Nebula is a stellar nursery, containing several dozen protostars in various stages of development. In 2369, the USS Enterprise-D conducted a routine three-week analysis of these protostars. During the mission, the ship was visited by Professor Richard Galen, who invited Captain Jean-Luc Picard to join him in completing an ancient genetic program left by the ancient humanoids. (TNG: "The Chase")
- The Volterra Nebula is named for Italian physicist Vito Volterra.