Abstract: Related systems and methods are described for determining the angular direction of an atomic beam relative to the beam's reference axis. For a non-relativistic atomic beam, a pair of counterpropagating, equal frequency laser beams intersect the atomic beam at a known angle to the reference axis, preferably perpendicular. The atomic beam direction is inferred from the frequency difference between resonant peaks in the laser beam fluorescence as the laser frequency is scanned. For a relativistic atomic beam, a pair of laser beams intersect the atomic beam from different sides at equal predetermined angles. The atomic beam direction is determined by observing the difference between resonant absorption peaks in the transmitted laser beam intensities as either the laser beam frequencies or laser beam angles relative to the atomic beam are varied. The angles between the laser and atomic beams are preferably selected to minimize the widths of the resonant peaks.