Let $F$ denote a binary form of order $d$ over the complex numbers. If $r$ is a divisor of $d$, then the Hilbert covariant $\mathcal{H}_{r,d}(F)$ vanishes exactly when $F$ is the perfect power of an order $r$ form. In geometric terms, the coefficients of $\mathcal{H}$ give defining equations for the image variety $X$ of an embedding $\mathbf{P}^r \hookrightarrow \mathbf{P}^d$. In this paper we describe a new construction of the Hilbert covariant; and simultaneously situate it into a wider class of covariants called the Göttingen covariants, all of which vanish on $X$. We prove that the ideal generated by the coefficients of $\mathcal{H}$ defines $X$ as a scheme. Finally, we exhibit a generalisation of the Göttingen covariants to $n$-ary forms using the classical Clebsch transfer principle.