Why do black holes appear to have a front and sides?

Question

If a black hole is caused by collapsing star material under immense gravity, then surely it should then create a black hole that draws matter in from all sides?

Instead the typical diagrams of black holes show the event horizon, the accretion disc and a polar jet extending out of the black hole. 

It appears that matter is being drawn in primarily from in front of the black hole - e.g. the part that is black (but we may also see a polar jet extending from it, hmm).  And that matter is drawn black hole kind of like water running down the drainage hole in a sink by swirling round it and creating the accretion disc. 

I'm sure my ideas are way off, but I'd like to know what current scientist understanding posits about black holes. 

1. Is there a front / back and sides to a black hole - if so, why?
2. Is the above is true, is a black hole flat?
3. If the black hole is so powerful that light cannot escape it, then how come polar jets are sometimes seen?

OldPilot · Accepted Answer

Same reason planets orbit.  Angular Momentum is conserved.  The original star was spinning just like our sun spins.  As at collapsed, the rate of spin increased to conserve angular momentum as the radius decreased.  Additional material coming in also adds to the Angular Momentum.  The spin creates the Accreation Disk.

1) The Event Horizon is a sphere
2) No
3) The jet forms outside the Event Horizon from the action of the matter and energy in the Accreation Disk.  Again it is the result of the spin

Anonymous · Answer

There is no front and sides etc... As you noted it is a hole and more or less uniform.
The shape you perceive is due to where the matter that is falling in is coming from.
As the matter all falls in it's gets in it's own way and as everything is spinning in the galaxy it tends to spiral in creating the disk in the same plane as the local matter that is in falling.
The jets are caused by all the matter falling in and it's interactions with each other rather than actual emissions from the black hole itself.

Anonymous · Answer

I don't believe there is any proof that Black Holes exist. It is just a theory and the pictures you have seen are just an artist idea of how they might look. I would volunteer to journey into one if they were real.

Why do black holes appear to have a front and sides?

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