24601 Forever In The Night Sky.

Read Time:5 Minute, 19 Second

By William Van Zyl

Published October 2025

I share my newest painting with you. Valjean is imprisoned for years. Stealing a loaf of bread sent him to a life of hard labour and misery. He is forgotten.

The night the painting was finished, the studio was silent except for the soft hum of the heater and the scent of drying acrylic. Two silver candlesticks stood glowing in the half-light — their shape and form reflecting something beyond pigment and brushstroke. The number 24601 shimmered faintly in the background, not just as paint, but as an echo — a soul once chained, now set free.

William stepped back from the canvas and exhaled. The story was complete, yet alive — breathing redemption through light and colour. The candlesticks, though still, seemed to whisper: “You were bought not with silver or gold, but with love.”

As he looked, the scene within the painting came alive in his mind. He could almost hear the clatter of iron on stone, the heavy breathing of a man haunted by hunger and rejection. Jean Valjean — prisoner 24601 — stood trembling before the priest who had every right to condemn him. The bag of silverware glimmered accusingly on the table, the police officers’ eyes hard and cold.

And then, with divine audacity, the priest spoke words that rewrote eternity.

“Release him. He has done no wrong.”

The officers hesitated, stunned. The law had been broken — yet mercy overruled judgment. The priest turned, his eyes soft and fierce at once.

“Jean Valjean, my brother, you forgot the candlesticks. Take them. They are yours.”

He hands the two valuable candlesticks over to Valjean. The room fell silent. The candle flames were extinguished — as if Jean’s sins were purged. The priest’s hands extended not punishment, but grace — a gesture that mirrored the open hands of Christ Himself.

Valjean’s eyes widened. No one had ever called him brother. No one had ever believed that light could emerge from the cracks of his brokenness. The candlesticks were no longer metal; they were symbols — twin beacons of forgiveness and rebirth.

In William’s painting, those candlesticks stand as the heart of the story. They gleam not merely with reflected light, but with hope. The number 24601 is painted like a constellation, rising beyond earthly shame — between the candleabra — into the night sky.

Somewhere, in a poetic turn of celestial justice, astronomers have named a small, wandering “planet” after him — Jean 24601. It circles its star in quiet grace, invisible to the naked eye, but not to the soul. It’s a tiny asteroid.

Redemption never fades. Like starlight travelling through centuries, love once shown continues to illuminate hearts across time and space.

Jean Valjean’s story — and the painting inspired by it — is more than history or art. It is the story of every person who has ever carried regret, shame, or guilt like heavy chains. It’s about what happens when mercy meets misery, when grace steps between judgment and the condemned, and when someone dares to say:

“You are not who you were. You are free.”

And so the candlesticks burn on — in cathedrals, in canvases, and now, in the dark expanse of the universe.

Forever, 24601 shines among the stars — a reminder that no soul is too lost to be found, and no night too deep for the light of love to reach.

Dear reader, if your life were a painting, what light would you allow to break through your darkness? What would the symbolism be?

Artist’s Statement
Title: 24601 Forever In The Night Sky
Medium: Acrylic and Oil on Canvas
Artist: William Van Zyl (August 2025)

This painting captures the moment of radical grace that transforms Jean Valjean’s life in the story of Les Misérables. The two silver candlesticks — luminous against a shadowed background — symbolise redemption, forgiveness, and divine love. They were given to Valjean by the priest who, instead of condemning him for theft, called him “brother” and sent him forth to live an honest life. The candlesticks became his guiding light — both literally and spiritually.

IMAGE: The Bishop has given Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) the two valuable silver candlesticks. Scene from the movie – Les Misérables. Credit: https://godinallthings.com/2013/03/04/the-bishop-with-the-candlesticks/

The prison number 24601, subtly woven into the composition, represents humanity’s captivity to guilt and the eternal struggle for freedom. Yet, in this work, the number rises like a constellation — liberated, shining among the stars.

Through the play of light and contrast, this painting invites viewers to contemplate mercy’s power: that a single act of unconditional love can illuminate even the darkest corners of the human soul.

There is a real minor planet officially numbered and named (24601) Valjean, named after Jean Valjean (prisoner number 24601).

Here are some details on asteroid 24601:

Object exists and name — Minor planet (24601) Valjean was discovered as provisional designation 1971 UW and is officially named Valjean after Jean Valjean. Wikipedia+1
Discovery — Luboš Kohoutek discovered it at Hamburg-Bergedorf on 26 October 1971.
Catalog entries (authoritative records) — The object is listed in the IAU / Minor Planet Centre and JPL Small-Body Database (MPC body id 24601 / JPL SPK-ID 20024601). Those databases hold the orbit, discovery, and observation records. Minor Planet Center+1
Orbit & physical data (summary) — It’s a main-belt minor planet with a semi-major axis ≈ 2.22 AU, absolute magnitude ~14.9, and an observed rotation period reported around ~5.9 hours in database summaries. (See JPL / Wikidata entries for full ephemeris and parameters.) Wikidata+1
Images / visual data availability — There are no public high-resolution direct photographs of (24601) Valjean like you’d see for planets — it’s a small main-belt asteroid. It appears as a point source in most telescope images. However, there are lightcurve data and shape/model files (e.g., DAMIT) and orbit/ephemeris visualisations available. damit.cuni.cz+1