A lidar system with improved signal-to-noise ratio in the presence of solar background noise. The lidar system can comprise a light source to emit light toward a target. The light source can have an operating wavelength which lies within a band that delineates a relative maximum in atmospheric absorption. The lidar system can also include a detector to detect scattered light from the target and a processor to determine a characteristic of the target based on a characteristic of the scattered light received at the detector.