Themorphological classification of NGC 6340 is SA(s)0/a,[6] indicating alenticular or spiral galaxy with no central bar (SA), no ring structure (s), and tightly woundspiral arms. It is being viewed nearly face on, with an inclination of about 20° to theplane of the sky. There is a prominentcentral bulge with little in the way of spiral structure in the outer disk.[10] The nucleus is chemically distinct, having a highermetallicity than the surroundings. There is a polar ring orbiting the nucleus with a radius of about 1.6 kly (0.5 kpc).[11]
Velocity measurements show that there are separate components with the inner and outer parts of the galaxy. This may have been created through a merger of two galaxy, with one possibly elliptical and the other a spiral.[6][5]
^R. W. Sinnott, ed. (1988).The Complete New General Catalogue and Index Catalogue of Nebulae and Star Clusters by J. L. E. Dreyer. Sky Publishing Corporation and Cambridge University Press.ISBN978-0-933346-51-2.
^Bottema, R. (September 1989). "The stellar velocity dispersion of the spiral galaxies NGC 6503 and NGC 6340".Astronomy and Astrophysics.221:236–249.Bibcode:1989A&A...221..236B.
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