Five Scientific Explanations for Game of Thrones‘ Messed-Up Seasons

[TinkTanker]

1. A wobbly planetary tilt

2. An extremely elongated orbit

3. A complex Milankovitch cycle

4. Oceans, currents, and winds

5. A combination of all factors

http://io9.com/5906300/5-scientific-explanations-for-game-of-thrones-messed+up-seasons

[Eric]

Eh.  We have had warm periods, ice ages and mini-ice ages; it's not really a stretch to think the same could happen there (if in shorter periods). Years-long dark nights could be tougher to explain, but then Westeros isn't on Earth, is it? Maybe a planet or moon eclipses the Sun for years?

But since they've figured out the long Winters, maybe they can explain the rest of her story:

Best Scene from GAME OF THRONES episode 'Lord Snow'!

[TinkTanker]

So when they show the map of the world in the opening credits does that imply their world is the inside of a Dyson sphere?

[Spooky]

I gather the world in which Westeros resides has a yearly seasonal cycle like we do, but the long Winters/Summers seem, to me, to be analogous to the Milankovitch cycles mentioned in the article. It's just a shorter and more unpredictable cycle.

This gets debated ad nauseam on the fan boards and folks get into BSM Vs. Anyone type arguments about it. The BSM types can't understand how anyone in Westeros knows how old they are, but when told that there is a regular seasonal cycle in Westeros they get lost in the semantics of winter Vs. Winter.

[Eric]

So when they show the map of the world in the opening credits does that imply their world is the inside of a Dyson sphere?

Interesting!

I gather the world in which Westeros resides has a yearly seasonal cycle like we do, but the long Winters/Summers seem, to me, to be analogous to the Milankovitch cycles mentioned in the article. It's just a shorter and more unpredictable cycle.

Same here.  Dunno why some people struggle with winter vs Winter. 

[Spooky]

Same here.  Dunno why some people struggle with winter vs Winter.

Here is a great example from Reddit. From a thread talking about the scene where Halfhand and Jon spott the fire off in the distance.

http://www.reddit.com/r/gameofthrones/comments/t16y9/paused_it_for_30_seconds_trying_to_find_that_damn/

They say it's been summer for ~9 years. Lets give 1 year for spring. That would make Jon 4 years old at the END of winter... doubt he has much experience in spotting fires in winter...

[TinkTanker]

They say it's been summer for ~9 years. Lets give 1 year for spring. That would make Jon 4 years old at the END of winter... doubt he has much experience in spotting fires in winter...

So... you are saying he knows nothing about spotting fires in Winter?

[AdmiralDigby]

So when they show the map of the world in the opening credits does that imply their world is the inside of a Dyson sphere?

Yes .

Not a fan of that aspect .....

[TinkTanker]

GRRM says [spoiler]the explanation for the seasons is that it is magic and will be explained at the end of the series.[/spoiler]

[spoiler][/spoiler]

[Eric]

So when they show the map of the world in the opening credits does that imply their world is the inside of a Dyson sphere?

Yes .

Not a fan of that aspect .....

Why do you hate science?  Is it because science proved that your island is now under ten feet of water?