A Canadian island named by Captain Cook prepares to throw solar eclipse party

A view from the top of Maiden Tea Hill overlooks the seaside town of Burgeo, with the small Eclipse Island, named by Royal Navy explorer Captain James Cook in 1766, at top right in Newfoundland, Canada February 7, 2024. Melissa Mills/Handout via REUTERS.

(Reuters) - In the remote town of Burgeo on the east coast of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, some residents are enthusiastically waiting to view Monday's rare solar eclipse and recreate the history of an island named by Captain James Cook.

British explorer Captain Cook, who was in Newfoundland in 1766 witnessed the solar eclipse of Aug. 5 while conducting astronomical observations and called the place Eclipse Island.