I've wondered the same, found this: http://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/21319/how-can-anything-ever-fall-into-a-black-hole-as-seen-from-an-outside-obser

I've wondered the same, found this: http://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/21319/how-can-anything-ever-fall-into-a-black-hole-as-seen-from-an-outside-observer http://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/21319/how-can-any... "The objects that can be very similar to black holes are called collapsars. They are virtually indistinguishable from actual black holes after a very short time of the formation. They consist only of matter outside the radius of the event horizon of a BH with the same mass. This matter is virtually frozen on the surface like with actual BH, due to high gravity level. Such collapsars possibly can become BHs for a short time due to quantum fluctuations and thus emit hawking radiation. Astrophysicists do not separate such collapsars from actual black holes and call all them BHs due to practical reasons because of their actual indistinguishability."