  Accurate measurement of relative distance and orientation of two nearby
quantum particles is discussed. We are in particular interested in a realistic
description requiring as little prior knowledge about the system as possible.
Thus, unlike in previous studies, we consider the case of an arbitrary relative
orientation of the two atoms. For this, we model the atom with complete Zeeman
manifolds, and include parallel as well as orthogonal dipole-dipole couplings
between all states of the two atoms. We find that it is possible to determine
the distance of the two atoms independent of the orientation, as long as the
particles are sufficiently close to each other. Next, we discuss how in
addition the alignment of the atoms can be measured. For this, we focus on the
two cases of atoms in a two-dimensional waveguide and of atoms on a surface.
