Cosmic ray origin and anisotropy measurement by the Pierre Auger Observatory

Recently the Pierre Auger Observatory has observed a dipolar anisotropy of amplitude 6.5% above 8 × 1018 eV that is unrelated to the Galactic plane. While the significance is largest above 8 × 1018 eV, the cosmic ray data indicate a growth of the dipolar amplitude from 4×1018 eV to 3.2×1019 eV and beyond. Furthermore, above 4 × 1019 eV, indications have been found for intermediate-scale anisotropies associated with extragalactic gamma-ray sources. Apart from those indications no other significant anisotropies are seen. We review these observations and discuss their relevance for the origin of ultra-high energy cosmic rays.