Aratril was a habitable planet located within Federation space. Prior to the 2370s decade, a Federation colony was established on the planet.
In the year 2370, Aratril's inhabitants discovered that an asteroid was approaching the planet and was predicted to strike, rendering the planet uninhabitable. Federation High Commissioner Fortnoy was assigned to oversee the organization of a mass evacuation of the planet involving dozens of ships, as well as dispatching survey teams to identify new colony sites for the inhabitants to move to. (TNG novel: Shadows Have Offended)