A Tarrant County College professor's behavior so startled his astronomy students that they left the classroom and called police.

Adjunct professor Daniel Mashburn, who worked at the school's northeast campus, walked into the class with his face fully covered and turned off the lights, according to a report from The Collegian, the campus news organization. Mashburn then drew connections between Islam and astronomy, The Collegian reported.

Campus police came to the classroom, questioned and searched Mashburn for weapons, but found none, according to KDFW-TV (Channel 4).

He told the campus paper that he wanted the classroom dark so he could see the stars outside.

"They pay a measly fee, $56 to, at most, $129 — a miserable sum for the knowledge and wisdom that I can pass on to them," he told The Collegian. "Why would they walk out on me? Why would they protest me?"

The campus paper reported that Mashburn previously worked as a teaching assistant at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he tried to work connections between Islam and astronomy into his classes as well.

The professor was suspended pending the outcome of an investigation at the school, according to The Collegian.