Description
The Mass loss of Evolved StarS (MESS) sample observed with PACS on board the Herschel Space Observatory revealed that several asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars are surrounded by an asymmetric circumstellar envelope (CSE) whose morphology is most likely caused by the interaction with a stellar companion. The evolution of AGB stars in binary systems plays a crucial role in understanding the formation of asymmetries in planetary nebulae (PNe), but at present, only a handful of cases are known where the interaction of a companion with the stellar AGB wind is observed. We probe the environment of the very evolved AGB star pi^1^ Gruis on large and small scales to identify the triggers of the observed asymmetries.
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