  We report on experiments exploring the physics of dipolar quantum gases using
a Chromium Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC). By means of a Feshbach resonance, it
is possible to reduce the effects of short range interactions and reach a
regime where the physics is governed by the long-range, anisotropic
dipole-dipole interaction between the large ($6 \mu_{\rm B}$) magnetic moments
of Chromium atoms. Several dramatic effects of the dipolar interaction are
observed: the usual inversion of ellipticity of the condensate during time-of
flight is inhibited, the stability of the dipolar gas depends strongly on the
trap geometry, and the explosion following the collapse of an unstable dipolar
condensate displays d-wave like features.
