V446 HERCULIS (NOVA HER 1960) IS AN OPTICAL TRIPLE - IMPLICATIONS FORTHE RESUMPTION OF DWARF NOVA OUTBURSTS FOLLOWING THE NOVA

V446 Her has been reported to have outbursts or flares at a mean inter val of similar to 23 days with an amplitude of similar to 1.5 mag. Thi s amplitude is quite low for dwarf nova outbursts, which suggests that these events may be due to mass transfer modulations. However, earlie r reported photometry included an unrecognized contribution from two a dditional stars similar to 3 '' away. When corrected for this effect, the amplitude of the outbursts is increased to similar to 2.5 mag, con sistent with the amplitudes of known dwarf novae. Furthermore, it is f ound that other parameters of the outbursts are consistent with the ex pected characteristics of dwarf nova events. These parameters include the outburst spacing, the rise and fall times of the outbursts, and va riations in outburst amplitude and width. V446 Her is therefore firmly established as a cataclysmic variable that has dwarf nova eruptions i n the immediate postnova stage, and is the most unambiguous example of such behavior among the recorded novae.