The Prodigal was the outermost moon of Bajor named for a figure in Bajoran religion. It had an unusually wide and elliptical orbit which only brought it into view of Bajor once every five years. The chemical composition of the moon caused it to glow when it came close to the Bajoran wormhole. The evenent is called the "Illumination of The Prodigal".
In 2370, The Prodigal was due to flyby close to the Bajoran wormhole and the recently repositioned Deep Space 9, this opportunity for a close view attracted visitors to the station to watch the spectacular of the illumination. At the same time a number of Horta eggs arrived on the station for delivery to Bajor, they hatched ahead of schedule and began to eat the station, fortunately The Prodigal entered transporter range just in time to transport the Horta to the moon where they could eat all they wanted. On the moon the Horta discovered valuable deposits of uranium, pergium and latinum. (DS9 novel: Devil in the Sky)