A small Highland village is to be twinned with its namesake on the planet Mars.
Glenelg in the west of Scotland is holding a day of celebrations to mark the journey of the remote-controlled Nasa Curiosity rover, which is due to arrive at Glenelg on the Red Planet on October 20.
Former Nasa astronaut Bonnie Dunbar, a veteran of five space flights, has flown in from the United States to take part in the Scottish event.
She will unveil a "Glenelg - Twinned with Mars" plaque to mark the link between the two planets and give a talk.
She told BBC Scotland: "There's going to be a presentation from Nasa about the Mars Curiosity which will be a really spectacular presentation and then I'm going to be talking about human exploration because just as we went to the moon after we sent robotic rovers, it's my hope that some day we can send people to Mars."
The event is the brainchild of Emma MacLean, development officer for Glenelg and Arnisdale Development Trust, who was inspired by a newspaper article about the Nasa rover heading for Glenelg on Mars.
The Space, Stars and Mars celebration will feature a range of space-themed events, including the chance to drive a "Mars Rover" around a simulated Martian landscape in the school hall, and a stargazing event.
There will also be talks by Doug McCuistion, director of the Nasa Mars exploration programme, and Scotland's astronomer royal, Professor John C Brown.
The event is being hosted by the Community of Glenelg and Arnisdale.
