The evolution of a 1.2Mʘ star along the asymptotic branch with continuous mass loss is presented, showing that this mass loss leads to the formation of a PN with a typical central star in its center.

A former investigation (Harpaz and Kovetz, 1980) has shown that mechanisms for PN creation based on sudden violent processes are not likely to work in the envelope of a red giant star. On the other hand, significant mass loss from red giants was observed as a general phenomenon.

We have followed the evolution of a 1.2Mʘ star along the asymptotic branch, including in the evolutionary calculations a mass loss according to Reimers’ empirical formula. It was found that towards the end of this stage, the mass loss rate was about 2.7xl0-6Mʘ/y, which is consistent with the formation of a typical PN within 30,000 years. When the mass content of the hydrogen rich envelope dropped to 1.5x10-3Mʘ, the star began to contract rapidly, forming a typical central star of 0.6Mʘ