Hole in the Sun (APOD 27 Sep 2007)

[Vision]

I find this very interesting, if this cosmic radiation is deflected around us by our planets magnetic field(protecting us from being burnt to oblivion, but also putting on a spectacular light show in the northern regions of our planet),I always wonder, is it possible to harness this tremendous power?

On another note, with the increasing planetary temp, how will the melting of our polar ice caps effect this magnetic field, and how our planet handles this radiation.

[Chris Peterson]

I find this very interesting, if this cosmic radiation is deflected around us by our planets magnetic field(protecting us from being burnt to oblivion, but also putting on a spectacular light show in the northern regions of our planet),I always wonder, is it possible to harness this tremendous power?

Possible, yes. But current technology provides no practical method. There are much more accessible energy resources that we are barely able to tap.

On another note, with the increasing planetary temp, how will the melting of our polar ice caps effect this magnetic field, and how our planet handles this radiation.

No effect at all. The polar ice caps are unrelated to the Earth's magnetic field, which is what determines how charged particles from the Sun travel in the Earth's vicinity.