Observing With NASA: Using Online Telescopes to Expand the Pipeline of Astronomy Learners

Observing with NASA (OWN) is a NASA-funded e-learning project developed by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) in partnership with the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI). The project provides universal access to the CfA's MicroObservatory online network of robotic educational telescopes, allowing users to make their OWN astronomical observations and compare their images and data with that of professional astronomers. We describe our strategies for making the tools and techniques of astronomical imaging, data processing and analysis accessible to the broadest possible audience.