During the recent Arctic Gas and Aerosols Sampling Project (AGASP) flight series, the absorption of solar radiation by the Arctic haze was measured directly for the first time. Absorption was measured in three narrow-band channels, and the measurements were used to calibrate a high-resolution solar-flux model, which was then used to compute atmospheric heating rates. Analyses of data from three flights with estimated depths of 0.26, 0.17, and 0.31 at 500 nm produced instantaneous solar heating rates of the order of 1.1 to 1.5 K day-1. These rates are greater by a factor of 2 to 3 than heating in the absence of the haze. Possible climate implications are briefly discussed.