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Unlike on Earth where the length of seasons are almost of the same duration each time, the hypothetical planet on which Game of Thrones took place has seasons of arbitrary length i.e. some winters last for three years, some lasts for six years and some for decades.

Question 1: Is it scientifically possible for a planet revolving around a single star to have seasons of arbitrary duration

Question 2: Is such a scenario possible in a planet in a binary or a higher star system?

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There was a mock paper a couple of years ago that tried to answer this question. Relevant finding:

A ‘tumbling’ orbit of the planet around the Sun, combined with an angle of tilt of about 10◦, results in permanent seasons and a modelled climate in broad agreement with the observational data as documented in the Citadel library.

To remove the permanence of the seasons, it's necessary to assume the planet's 10◦ tilt will 'flip' from time to time, for reasons unknown.

Link

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  • $\begingroup$ MOCK Paper? Only one? My Lord, Planetos orbital research is a difficult link to forge on a maester's chain... $\endgroup$
    – AtmosphericPrisonEscape
    May 20, 2019 at 23:23
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You could if the planet's spin wobbled significantly or the star dimmed and then brightened up. Possible with a large dust cloud that came between the sun and the planet...

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