Govert Schilling
Govert Schilling is an astronomy author and a science journalist. The asteroid 10986 Govert is named after him.
Recent articles by Govert Schilling
The Universe is unimaginably chaotic. 10 violent cosmic explosions that would instantly wipe out our Solar System
Join us on a turbulent tour through the most powerful explosions in the cosmos
We don't know why the Universe expansion is speeding up. Dark energy is the biggest mystery in science
Govert Schilling investigates dark matter, what we've learned about it, and what we might discover in the future.
The Universe is bigger than its age. How the speed of light makes time-travellers of stargazers
How is the Universe so big, and why does its size seem to be bigger than its age?
James Webb Space Telescope | See the latest images
See the latest full colour images to be released by the JWST.
What came before the Big Bang? These are the best theories we have about the origin of the cosmos
We explore the theories about one of the most mind-boggling questions about the Universe.
Supersymmetry explained
A theory that could explain many of our Universe’s mysteries… but only if it’s true
Does the Universe expand faster than light?
Does the Universe's expansion violate Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity, which says that the speed of light is an absolute limit?
Aliens' technology could be giving them away. Here's how scientists are searching for it
If the Universe is infinite, has it always been infinite? Here's what the science says
Whether tiny, hot nugget or unimaginably huge cosmos, space goes on forever.
What makes a planet habitable? 7 key conditions for a planet to be suitable for life as we know it
What makes Earth habitable? What can our home planet teach us about what an exoplanet needs to support life? Here are 7 ingredients for planet habitability.
Who really invented the telescope? And no, it wasn't Galileo. This is the true story of astronomy's beginnings
Why galaxies look redder the further away they are. Hint: it's to do with the expansion of the Universe
Why are galaxies redshifted? In this guide, we examine why it is that galaxies look redder the further away they are.
1,000s of times a day, a burst of radio waves is generated somewhere in the Universe. What are they?
The source of mysterious bursts of radio waves has been confounding scientists for a decade. Now we’re finally making some progress.
Metal-rich asteroids could be mined for their resources, but should humanity just leave well alone?
Could the days of cosmic collieries be rapidly approaching?
Euclid's quick data release, March 2025
What if there were no gravity?
Habitable Worlds Observatory
James Webb Space Telescope | How will JWST observe the Universe?
What will NASA's James Webb Space Telescope do, and how does it compare to the Hubble Space Telescope?
Who came up with dark matter? Seven scientists who pioneered our understanding of the dark universe
The term ‘dark matter’ was coined over a century ago. Here are 7 scientists who shed light on astronomy’s biggest mystery.
Antimatter explained
Why is there more matter than antimatter in the Universe?
All you need to know about NASA's Psyche mission to study an asteroid up-close
A guide to NASA's Psyche mission, which will study a metal-rich asteroid up-close.
Cosmic rays explained
A primer on cosmic rays, the high-energy particles that bombard Earth from space.
The Euclid mission will study the mysteries of the dark Universe by mapping 2 billion galaxies
The new European space telescope will tackle the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy.
Gravitational waves are ripples in spacetime caused by cosmic collisions, and provide a new way of observing the Universe
What are gravitational waves, and what can they tell us about the Universe?
