Arrival directions and chemical composition of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays

Chemical composition of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays is estimated through the reliably determined (both experimentally and theoretically) distribution of the number of showers in the galactic latitude. Experimental data at energies of ∼10 19 eV agree with the theoretical calculations, provided that cosmic rays involve predominantly heavy nuclei. An enhanced flux of cosmic rays from the galactic plane is detected at energies of ∼10 19 eV.