Cosmic Rays at Extreme Energies: Status and Recent results of the Pierre Auger Observatory

The Pierre Auger Observatory is designed to study the origin and the nature of the highest energy cosmic rays. The southern observatory, currently under construction in Province of Mendoza, Argentina, is nearing completion. The observatory is taking data in a hybrid mode, in the final phase incorporating both, a ground array of 1600 Cherenkov water tanks spread over 3000 km2, and 24 wide-angle Schmidt fluorescence telescopes placed at four sites on the boundary of the surface array. Hybrid detection of extended air showers improves considerably the precision on reconstructed primary cosmic ray parameters and serves as a cross-calibration between the two techniques. Despite the fact that the observatory is still under construction, data is routinely recorded since 2004. The current status of the observatory, its characteristics and recent results on primary cosmic ray spectrum, arrival directions and the photon fraction limit are presented.