Testing 30 second exposures

In life, I am a fervent believer that people come into your life for a moment, a season, or a lifetime.  With any one of these, there is a reason.  A few weeks ago, I looked at a YouTube video talking about long exposures when trying to get more light into pictures.  The man on the video had the camera on Manual setting with a Bulb Shutter Speed and 3.5 aperture.  Well, I had no clue what that all meant....to be honest.  It was not until yesterday while taking pictures at Cumberland Falls Park that the video from a few weeks ago began making sense.  I met someone who is truly a photographer continuing to master her skill.  She and her friend was on a "photo safari" that day.  She was very kind in talking with me about the camera, lens, as well as shooting modes.  She said that she likes shooting in the A setting...to be able to control the amount of light coming into her pictures.  Then, she pulled out her business card and I saw one of the best pictures taken at night time that I have ever seen.  It was of the Moonbow over the Cumberland Falls.  It was then, that I had that "Aha" moment.

With this said...tonight's pictures were taken last night across from my apartment complex in London, KY.  I used a ten second timer with the camera on the tripod to minimize the shakiness of the picture.  The first two pictures and the last were taken with a 30 second shutter speed and 3.5 aperture.  The third picture was taken with an 8 second shutter speed.  I will say that taking these pictures in the dark was simple trial and error (i.e. out of 42 pictures only about 7 or 8 were somewhat good).  These pictures below are not the best pictures in the world, but I wanted to share my "Aha" moment that I had.  I was excited when we started taking the pictures and seeing the outcome.  The anticipation of seeing the picture made the 40 seconds (timer plus shutter speed) go by very quickly.  The first picture is of Big Bob's Burgers with the constellation Orion along the horizon.  The fourth picture is of the Little Dipper.  I did not use a telephoto lens, but kept the camera at 18 - 24mm.  Well, let me know what you all think about these pictures.  Let me know if you all have any suggestions.