Cape Herschel

Cape Herschel is a bold, black cliff on a projecting point forming the west extremity of Chavdar Peninsula on the west coast of Graham Land, in the British Antarctic Territory. It is on the north-east entrance point of Hughes Bay and the west side of the entrance to Curtiss Bay, and marks the end of the Davis Coast to the north-east and the beginning of the Danco Coast to the south-west.

In January-February 1829, the cape was roughly charted by Foster, who applied the name 'Mount Herschel' was applied to the mountain on the headland, later named Mount Pénaud.

The mountain and later the cape were named after Sir John Frederick William Herschel (1792-1871), British astronomer and member of the Royal Society Committee which prepared instructions for the voyage of Foster's ship HMS Chanticleer; Sir John was also the son of Sir Frederick William Herschel, the famed astronomer, from whom the Herschel Heights are named.

In 1898, the Belgian Antarctic Expedition under Lieutenant Adrien de Gerlache explored this area and applied the name 'Cap Sterneck' to an island south of the headland, after Robert von Sterneck, the Austrian geophysicist whose apparatus was used on the expedition. As the belgians' 'Cap Sterneck' is now known to be an island it is named Sterneck Island. In 1902 however the Swedish Antarctic Expedition erroneously applied to the Cape Hersche the name 'Kap von Steineck' and it was called 'Cap Charles' by the French Antarctic Expedition of 1908-10. A number of other names have appeared on charts for this feature over time, and American charts still use 'Cape Sterneck'.

The confusion of names was resolved following air photography by the Falkland Islands and Dependencies Aerial Survey Expedition of 1956-57, and further study of the Belgian Antarctic Expedition records showing that the name of 'Sterneck' was originally applied to Sterneck Island, so the name of Herschel was transferred to the present feature.

Location

• Location map: 64°3’58"S, 61°1’59"W

References

• Gazetteer and Map of The British Antarctic Territory: Cape Herschel