2000A&A...362..255J

We present high-resolution observations of the neutral envelope of ο Ceti. The molecular component has been mapped in the CO(2-1) radio line and the atomic component is studied through long-slit spectroscopy of the optical KI line. These observations reveal strong asymmetries in the gas distribution, which can be interpreted as a spherical envelope disrupted by a bipolar outflow. These data, combined with other observations of this object as well as similar observations of other AGB stars, suggest that asymmetrical mass loss processes occur early during the AGB stage, well before the proto-planetary nebula phase.