Gamma-Ray Observations of Galaxies with VERITAS

VERITAS is an atmospheric Cherenkov telescope in southern Arizona that is used to study astrophysical gamma rays above 100 GeV. Since the start of the instrument's operation in 2007, VERITAS has dedicated a significant amount of time each year to the observation of active galactic nuclei (AGN). These observations have resulted in the detection of gamma-ray emission from 39 active galaxies. A number of these galaxies have been detected in both quiescent and flaring states, with the flaring behavior providing insight on the highly energetic particle population(s) responsible for the gamma-ray emission. VERITAS results from a few notable flaring BL Lac type AGN, as well as detections of the radio galaxy 3C 264, will be presented. Additionally, the long-term observations of distant BL Lac type objects will be presented and given cosmological context with the recent indirect measurement of the extragalactic background light intensity provided by VERITAS.