[3] IC 860 is classfied a nearby post-starburst galaxy, in early stages of transforming into its quiescent state.

[6] According to low [C II] 157.7 μm-to-LFIR ratios and by a mid-infrared silicate absorption, the findings suggest IC 860 does have a warm compact region.

The region of the galaxy, is in a current phase of rapid evolution where inflows are accumulating column densities of interstellar dust and gas, sufficient to fuel its star formation or its AGN.

As the nuclear gas only has an outflow velocity of vout = 170 – 200 km s−1, this makes it impossible to escape from the galaxy unless being accelerated.

[6] In another study, IC 860 contains 4.83 GHz formaldehyde emission with a peak flux density of 2.0-2.2 mJy based from observations made by Arecibo Observatory.