The Ministry of Islamic Affairs has advised residents of all inhabited islands in the Maldives to congregate for the Salat-al-Khusuf, given Friday night’s lunar eclipse.

Congregations have been organized for 11:30pm on Friday night. Residents are to congregate at the largest mosque on each island.

Experts say that the lunar eclipse will be visible in the Maldives at 10:14pm on Friday and will be fully visible by 1:31am early Saturday.

The estimated time the eclipse will last is about 1 hour and 43 minutes and will end at about 4:28am on Saturday.

Friday’s lunar eclipse is the first central lunar eclipse since 2011. The eclipse is said to occur simultaneously with Mars’ perihelic opposition – making it extremely close to the earth – and occurs only every 25,000 years.

It will be completely visible over Eastern Africa, and Central Asia, seen rising over South America, Western Africa, and Europe, and setting over Eastern Asia, and Australia.