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

The town of Burgeo on the coast of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador will celebrate the total solar eclipse in a different way by rebuilding a beacon on an island named by Captain James Cook.

Known as Eclipse Island, the now-inhabited island was named by British explorer Captain Cook. He witnessed the solar eclipse of Aug. 5 in 1766 while conducting astronomical observations and thus named the place Eclipse Island.

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"If we get 30 to 40 people show up here just for the eclipse, I will be ecstatic," Michael Ward, the manager of Burgeo townhall told Reuters.

The 8-foot (2.4 metres) tall beacon, built in the 1950s-60s by community members will be restored by the people of Burgeo, home to about 1,100 residents.

The solar eclipse, the first of its kind since 1979 in Canada, is creating a carnival atmosphere and many have been making travel plans for months. In Niagara, local government has declared a state of emergency with a record more than a million people expected to converge along the majestic falls and the popular tourist destination.

Burgeo sees the eclipse as more than simply an astronomical event; it will be a communityevent at Government Wharf. People will come together to sing songs, rebuild the beacon, and engage in traditional smudging rituals and drumming to honor indigenous culture and heritage. "We want everybody (the local residents) to be involved... It's going to be quite a show," Ward added.

On April 8, the complete solar eclipse is expected to traverse Mexico, the United States, and Canada in the sky over North America, according to NASA. The eclipse is predicted to start in the South Pacific Ocean and reach totality near the Pacific coast of Mexico at around 11:07 amPDT.

(With inputs from agencies)