Hi Dru,
 
      You seem well educated from your posts. Let me try to explain to you why both Comet E and the asteroid at I AU from Earth will be non events. Baring a collision, which nobody expects, the relative masses of the comet and the asteroid are so infantesimally small that nothing can happen.
 
      Do you understand scientific notation? The ocean tides are caused by the effect the Moon's mass has upon the Earth's oceans. To a.much lesser degree the Sun also has an impact. Knowing these truths, we must consider objects of similar mass, or distances before we can expect to observe anything profound.
 
     Do you follow me Dru? The asteroid is roughly one AU from Earth. It's mass is less than 7000 tons. Before an object can effect the tides here on Earth, it's gotta be half the Moons mass Dru..
 
     Comet might be more mass-ive, but I doubt it. Size and distance Dru. Space is very, very, very empty and objects are very very very small. Don't expect much folks. Sorry Dru
 
                                              Agape,
 
                                                    Mike Curtiss