A rare celestial phenomenon will occur at 9:47 p.m. Sunday. If viewing conditions permit, a total lunar eclipse will be visible in the sky above Minot. And it won’t be an ordinary eclipse.

What will occur Sunday night is a Blood Moon, a supermoon and lunar eclipse that is the final in a series of four total eclipses known as a lunar tetrad. Previous Blood Moons in the tetrad occurred April 15 and October 8, 2014, and April 4 earlier this year. The phenomena over Minot will begin at 8:07 p.m. and conclude at 11:27 p.m. The moon during the eclipse will have a red appearance. Hence the label as a “Blood Moon.”

A supermoon is the time when the moon’s orbit brings it closest to earth, making it appear significantly larger that other full moons. The Blood Moon eclipse results from earth coming into alignment between the sun and moon. Previous intervals between lunar tetrads have been 300 years or more. However, say astronomers, tetrads will occur 17 times in the next three centuries.

As with most celestial events, there are those that attach significant belief to the happening. The organization Prophecy News Watch reports that some people have been stocking up on food and other supplies “like never before” in anticipation of an end to the world. Others believe the final Blood Moon in the tetrad signals a major event involving Israel or is the reaction of an angry God.

In the biblical book of Joel it states: “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.”

Although mankind has survived several previous tetrads, some people persist in their belief that the upcoming Blood Moon is an omen as the one described by Joel. British psychologist Dr. Max Blumberg disagrees, saying such beliefs could be linked to depression.

“When life is hard we clutch at straws for an explanation,” said Blumberg. “People who are having a hard time will tend to believe in it more.”

Whatever significance a person attaches to it, there is no doubting the rarity of the final Blood Moon of a tetrad. If the night sky is clear Sunday the Blood Moon should be a spectacular sight.