The ANTARES telescope is the largest underwater neutrino telescope existing at present. It is based on the detection of Cherenkov light produced in sea water by neutrino-induced muons. The detector, consisting of a tri-dimensional array of 885 photomultipliers arranged on twelve vertical lines, is located at a depth of 2475 m in the Mediterranean Sea, 40 km off the French coast. The main goal of the experiment is to probe the Universe by means of neutrino events in an attempt to investigate the nature of high energy astrophysical sources, to contribute to the identification of cosmic ray sources, and to explore the nature of dark matter. In this contribution we will review the status of the detector, illustrate its operation and performance, and present the first results from the analysis carried out on atmospheric muons and neutrinos, as well as from the search for astrophysical neutrino sources.
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