Observations and Conclusions
The tidal characteristic, S = Sign(Hobs . DHtide ), is -1 for 49 of 71 comets. The binomial probability of this preponderance is at the 3 s level.
Smaller observed semimajor axes, a, and larger observed perihelia, q, correlate with S = -1. This three-fold correlation is also at the 3 s level.
These correlations are predicted if the tide dominates.
Inferences? Since we clearly see evidence of this subtle tidal imprint, it shows that the data are sufficiently numerous, sufficiently free of observational bias and are of sufficiently high quality to search for evidence of impulsive perturbations.