Adaptive optics observations in the infrared ( VLT/NACO , Kervella et al .
2014 ) and visible ( VLT/SPHERE , Kervella et al .
2015 ) domains revealed that the nearby AGB star L _ { 2 } Pup ( d = 64 pc ) is surrounded by a dust disk seen almost edge-on .
Thermal emission from a large dust ” loop ” is detected at 4 \mu m up to more than 10 AU from the star .
We also detect a secondary source at a separation of 32 mas , whose nature is uncertain .
L _ { 2 } Pup is currently a relatively ” young ” AGB star , so we may witness the formation of a planetary nebula .
The mechanism that breaks the spherical symmetry of mass loss is currently uncertain , but we propose that the dust disk and companion are key elements in the shaping of the bipolar structure .
L _ { 2 } Pup emerges as an important system to test this hypothesis .