Strong asymmetries in the neutral envelope of Mira - CO and KI observations

We present high-resolution observations of the neutral envelope of o Ceti. The molecular component has been mapped in the CO(2-1) radio line and the a tomic 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 o utflow. These data, combined with other observations of this object as well as simi lar observations of other AGE stars, suggest that asymmetrical mass loss pr ocesses occur early during the AGE stage, well before the proto-planetary n ebula phase.