(24601) Valjean Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 26 October 1971 by L. Kohoutek at Bergedorf.
When Jean Valjean, the central character in Victor Hugo's Les Misérables, was in prison, he was known by the number 24601. By associating this minor planet with Valjean's name, a connection is established with one of the world's greatest works of literature.Naming citation (20091004/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Valjean is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Valjean is 2.55 au from the Sun and 3.39 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 24601 |
| Provisional designation | 1971 UW |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Rotation period | 5.89 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.92 |
| Orbital period | 3.31 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.22 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.80 – 2.64 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.190 |
| Inclination | 6.40° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.802 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Victor
- (4866) Badillo
- (5156) Golant
- (5416) Estremadoyro
- (5634) Victorborge
- (5801) Vasarely
- (6890) Savinykh
- (7267) Victormeen
- (9550) Victorblanco
- (10678) Alilagoa
- (11027) Astaf'ev
- (11445) Fedotov
- (12065) Jaworski
All asteroids named after someone called Victor
Also discovered on 26 October 1971
- (1840) Hus
- (1841) Masaryk
- (1865) Cerberus
- (1894) Haffner
- (1895) Larink
- (1896) Beer
- (1897) Hind
- (1898) Cowell
- (1899) Crommelin
- (1932) Jansky
- (1995) Hajek
- (2047) Smetana