The M Supergiant High-Mass X-Ray Binary 4u 1954+31

The X-ray binary 4U 1954+31 has been classified as a low-mass X-ray binary containing an M giant and a neutron star (NS). It has also been included in the rare class of X-ray symbiotic binaries. The Gaia parallax, infrared colors, spectral type, abundances, and orbital properties of the M star demonstrate that the cool star in this system is not a low-mass giant but a high-mass M supergiant. Thus, 4U 1954+31 is a high-mass X-ray binary (HMXB) containing a late-type supergiant. It is the only known binary system of this type. The mass of the M I is 9(-2)(+6) M-circle dot giving an age of this system in the range 12-50 Myr with the NS no more than 43 Myr old. The spin period of the NS is one of the longest known, 5 hr. The existence of M I plus NS binary systems is in accord with stellar evolution theory, with this system a more evolved member of the HMXB population.