Results of astronomical leveling on the Moscow attraction using a zenith camera

In this paper, the quasi-geoid elevations along the profile of the Moscow attraction are calculated based on the astronomical leveling method – according to the components of the deflection of vertical, which were measured using the zenith camera of the FSUE "VNIIF-TRI". The length of the profile is approximately 93 km. The error in the final excess of the quasi-geoid for the attraction profile, obtained from the mentioned measurements, was about 13 mm. The results are compared with a digital model of quasi-geoid heights, which has a relative error of ~4 cm in the Moscow region. Juxtaposition of the quasi-geoid elevations gave an average difference of –1,8 cm and its standard deviation of 1,9 cm. The dependence of the quasi-geoid final excess for the attraction profile on the points’ number used (lengths of segments) and the measurement area anomaly were studied. For the Moscow attraction, which is a medium-anomalous region, it was found out that the optimal distance between surveyed points should not exceed 13 km. The method of astronomical leveling using a zenith camera can be used for metrological support and independent control of quasigeoid models obtained through other methods, for example, gravimetric ones